My Game-Changing Learning Experience with AI
How I acquired a new skill that I just could not pick up without it
In a nutshell:
This blog describes a transformative experience I had with AI.
It was transformative because AI (ChatGPT)
helped me gain a skill (Automation with Google Apps Scripts)
that I was unable to acquire in my many previous attempts without it.
The potential impact of AI on learning becomes more concrete with this personal example.
This week I had the most transformative AI experience I have had to date. I felt compelled to document it on my blog.
A note on Transforming Education with AI
Since the first day I opened ChatGPT it has been blowing my mind. Mostly because of how impressive it is and for the potential it holds, and to a much smaller extent its current impact.
In Schools however, I think the path to transforming education with AI will be a slow, incremental one, like all of the educational transformations in the past. Yes, Transformed by AI it will be (here’s a nice WEF report from April 2024 that outlines possibilities), but I doubt it will be as dramatic as many imagine.
In India especially, the internet and information age is yet to fully unleash its potential. I am optimistic that all of these will, but it just won't be quick and dramatic. Because the problems of education are wicked (super complex), it will be slow and incremental. For more arguments read more on Failure to Disrupt from Justin Reich, captured in this post of mine.
Back to AI and Me
This post documents my personal experiences, and not so much about the potential of AI to transform education.
My evolving relationship with AI
ChatGPT blew my mind when I first used it in January 2023. Below is a brief documentation of my evolving usage over the last 1.5 years:
Reviewing and Editing Writing with ChatGPT:
What worked for me: I found ChatGPT to be a very useful tutor for writing. If you haven’t picked this up already… I am not gifted with words and every blog post feels like a very hard workout. The ideas come easily, the conversion to words does not. As I worked on my writing skills, ChatGPT served as a very useful tool for supporting me in my writing efforts. I would write a draft of my post and ask for feedback on the coherence of my ideas and on my language. Also little things like proofreading and ideas for titles. I would do many rounds of iteration around this. Super useful. I extended this all kinds of formal writing including formal emails and communications.
What didn’t work for me: I rarely used to synthesize information on an educational topic - it was too generic. I still find it more useful for me to put my ideas together first and then refine them with ChatGPT.
My learning curve: The learning curve on this was pretty quick - it was intuitive and easy to learn to write better prompts as I used it.
Illustrations with MidJourney:
What worked for me: Next, I experimented with MidJourney for illustrations - mostly art for the blogpost cover. If you scroll through my blog post cover illustrations, you will probably be able to pick the exact date I switched to creating this on Midjourney instead of Canva - the difference is stark. The Midjourney illustrations are so much better.
What didn’t work for me: I could not make any informative illustrations. I had dreams of easily generating infographics that could support the ideas on my blog and I stubbornly tried to make this happen for a long time. Eventually I realized it was not to be.
My learning curve: The learning curve on this was much slower (and quite frustrating) compared to ChatGPT. I think the contributors to this were 1) the discord interface - it didn’t feel intuitive at all. 2) There was no way to refine the generated images in a precise way — only preset functions to scale or regenerate them with minor or major adjustments. It was incredibly frustrating.
Earlier this year I discovered Midjourney had released a web version - it is so much better. I only use the web-version now. New users should definitely use this version, it is much more intuitive and easier to use.
Illustrations with Canva AI upgrades
What worked for me: I just discovered this a few months ago. Canva’s AI features, particularly ‘Magic Design’, allows me to edit my images so easily - remove backgrounds, remove objects, change color of specific objects and so much more. All just with a few easy clicks. Much of the basic stuff you needed access and skills to do on an illustrator like Adobe photoshop can now be done by users like me with very little technical skill.
My learning curve: Easy to use and learn, but I suspect I am only scratching the surface of what is available. Probably requires some more time for exploration, something I have not been able to prioritise.
Document Synthesis and Review with ChatGPT and Gemini
What worked for me: Once the file upload features kicked in, both ChatGPT and Gemini supported me greatly with review of work. For example, we have been working on a massive curriculum project and now we have a great review assistant available. Doing this before the ‘upload’ feature was tedious. We reviewed language, coherence, some fact-checking, organization of ideas and edited language to make it more age-appropriate.
What didn’t work for me: As with almost all things with AI LLMs, nothing is foolproof. A final check from a human is always needed to eliminate all the unintended errors.
My learning curve: Easy to use and learn, but it is important to know the limitations in scope. If you use it for something too complex, you probably won’t get a great result.
My most transformative experience to date: Automation with Apps Scripts and ChatGPT
Last week I realized that by using AppScripts with ChatGPT as my guide, I could automate SO MANY THINGS, SO EASILY.
Some background:
My initial coding experience:
I have some familiarity with coding - I learned (and loved) to code 20 years ago while I got my engineering degree in college. So I can theoretically understand basic ideas like algorithms (stepwise thinking and instructions), syntax (rules and structures for code), control structure (program flow and decision making) and testing/ debugging.
My limited real-world skill:
I have 2 years of experience as a software engineer - again almost 20 years ago, but to be totally honest, I don’t think I built anything meaningful during those two years. I wrote simple visual basic code for a maintenance project at Infosys. My experience with the company was positive, but as a coder my experience lacked inspiration and mentoring. So I would classify myself as a software engineer only in name, without any meaningful real world skills.
My struggle with Apps Scripts:
App Scripts are a JavaScript-based cloud scripting language that allows users to automate tasks and extend the functionality of Google Workspace applications, such as Google Sheets, Docs, and Gmail.
For years I have known that Apps Scripts could enable me to automate powerfully within Google workspace - in which I have worked extensively for the last decade at both my workplaces. And so, I have made many unsuccessful attempts at doing this.
I googled my way through a few attempts and even had one success. But that one simple task took me 4 hours. 2 years ago I tried to write a script to auto populate the fields on a Google form with a list of teachers from another sheet, updated on demand with the click of a button. I did it successfully with a lot of googling and trial and error. And when I tried to modify it the next year I couldn’t replicate what I did quickly and gave up because I didn’t have another 4 hours.
Then I enrolled for Apps Script Courses. I tried to explore the no-code App Sheets. But I need many hours to figure things out and could not dedicate the time if I were to meet my higher priority commitments at work.
I was so frustrated. I was sure I could have figured it out, only if I had the time.
The magic of ChatGPT and AppScripts:
Then one day, a colleague at school mentioned that he was coding so much more effectively with ChatGPT. It was only then that it struck me - maybe I should attempt automation with Apps Scripts once more, with ChatGPT by my side.
So last weekend, that’s what I did.
And OMG.
I did it successfully in less than an hour.
I had many failed attempts at similar tasks previously.
And I had taken 3 hours longer for the one, much simpler, successful automation attempt from earlier.
A description of what I did: we had launched a free, public online course a few days ago. I automated the process of sending a personalized certificate of completion to participants, as soon as they completed the summative assessment, and only if they scored more than the accepted minimum score. In less than an hour. See image below from my test entry - I completed the course and received a personalised, automated email and certificate instantly to my registered email address.
And the experience was easy and enjoyable, without any of the frustration I had felt during my previous attempts. Insane.
ChatGPT was brilliant.
It gave me the code based on my explanation and allowed me to copy it easily. (Before, I had to browse through so many forums to find the different pieces and then put them together piece by piece)
Above: ChatGPT gives me all the code, with an option to copy all of it easily on the top right corner
Every single line of code came with an explanation of what it actually did so that I could understand
(Previously I had to figure out what every line of coded did when I found samples on the online forums)
It helped me debug code - I just pasted my code into ChatGPT and it picked any syntax errors out and provided me with the correct code (this was a nightmare before)
Above: Me asking ChatGPT to find the error in my code (I pasted the whole thing) 
Above: ChatGPT kindly locating the error in my script and correcting it for me It helped me troubleshoot errors - I just explained or pasted the errors and it provided me with a list of potential reasons for why it may not be working.
After the first automation, I spent an hour every evening this week automating new things. I had the flu that week but I guess the high from the success of the first one was so strong that it couldn’t stop me, lol.
I am so thrilled and filled with excitement about the possibilities. I know I will be addicted to this for a while. Which is great, because that is what is needed to really understand its potential.
Unrelated side note - It just occurred to me that I am only working with Google products - App Scripts and Google workspace. Maybe I should be testing Gemini ??? lol
Why did this AI interaction felt like such a game-changing learning experience compared to my previous ones?
I think it was because this time, AI didn’t just enhance or improve an existing process — it fundamentally changed the way I approached a completely new skill. With writing and illustrations, AI served as a helpful assistant, providing feedback or generating creative visuals, but those tasks were already familiar to me. Using AI for coding, however, allowed me to break through a barrier I had struggled with for years. It turned a daunting, time-consuming challenge into something achievable and even enjoyable.
This experience felt different because it wasn’t just about improving what I could already do; it was about unlocking an entirely new potential that I was unable to realize before.
I wonder how many other areas of education and learning could be transformed like this, where AI evolves from being just a tool into a powerful catalyst, sparking new discoveries and unlocking potential we never knew we had.
Interesting !