I have become dependent on my little helper. This all happened gradually. Imagine you’re looking for a phone number of a local government and go to their website. After 5 minutes of frustrating, unsuccessful searching for the number, I give up. Either I’m too stupid to find the phone number, or it’s not listed on the website at all.

With Perplexity, my little AI helper, this never happens. I ask, “What is the phone number of the municipal administration?” and get a selection of phone numbers with names and descriptions of their functions within the administration. Where all this information comes from is not always clear, but in this area, my Perplexity has never hallucinated. Its results are much faster and much better than mine.

When I’m looking for a specialist, asking about their reputation and results, the outcome is usually very good. I just need to think more and ask the right questions. A question like “Who is the heart surgeon in country X with the lowest mortality rate during and after surgery?” doesn’t work. In the end, all patients eventually die after surgery, even if it’s due to aging.

I haven’t worried about foreign languages for a long time. The translation happens in seconds and is very good. For documents – like a notice of a bill from abroad in a foreign language – I just open the camera and read the translation on my phone.

Traveling has become child’s play because planning even very complicated trips with AI is quick and easy. I’ve thrown away all the old maps and travel guides because the electronic guide is faster and more up-to-date.

I don’t even unroll the leaflets with medication instructions anymore, and I don’t search for the correct language either. In the end, when I do manage to find the right language, the information spans five pages. And the only two sentences that interest me are hard to find. Even then, my Perplexity is much faster and provides source information. This way, if I have critical questions, I can check the original source directly through the link it gives me.

I’m a very direct person, and since I’m usually short on time, my emails are brief and to the point. Polite phrases are usually missing. Now, with Copilot, I’m a super polite person in seconds, with many “I hope you’re doing well today and have had a nice time”… Only after such a sentence can we gently approach the matter.

I could continue this catalog because artificial intelligence has gradually embedded itself in my life and daily routine. Yes, it increases my speed and efficiency. But everything has its price.

I first noticed it in terms of orientation. I – the scout – always knew where I was. I could also orient myself without a map and used many small helpers to find my way in unfamiliar areas. With the consistent use of navigation systems, whether in the car, cycling, or on foot, I’ve realized that I’m starting to lose that spatial orientation I once had. I rely on technology.

Progress cannot be stopped, and I’m learning a lot at the moment. But many of the skills that used to come naturally to me are beginning to crumble. It’s fascinating to observe this in myself. At the same time, it scares me because I’m a very independent person, and the idea that one day the technology might not work for some reason, and I can no longer rely on my old skills because they are gone, doesn’t feel very good.