How You Can Become An "Expert" in Anything with AI

This article explores how AI might enable more diverse perspectives across different fields.

How AI is Democratizing the Scientific Process

I recently published an article titled “Listening is the Most Critical Skill in Language Learning” on my blog. This article, arguing for the importance of listening comprehension in language acquisition, was researched, written, and polished in under one hour, all thanks to the power of artificial intelligence (AI).

This article was an idea I had after spending three years learning Japanese and several more learning the “best way” to learn a language. Having several other ideas of a similar "academic" nature, I was curious if AI could help me get the job done.

It was incredible how quickly I developed a cohesive thesis supported by academic evidence. However, it also raised deeper questions in me about the democratization of knowledge creation and scientific rigor in an age of rapidly advancing algorithmic tools. Can we really trust these articles? Can we really be called "Experts"?

Power dynamics around credibility and qualifications may shift as well.

Democratizing the Scientific Process

In the past, contributing perspectives to scholarly debates required years of advanced education, resource-intensive research, and lengthy peer review. The barriers to entry excluded many voices and limited diversity of thought across fields.

AI has begun to fundamentally disrupt this stagnant model.

Within my short experiment, I leveraged multiple technologies to quickly source relevant papers, synthesize arguments, generate written analysis, and even critically self-reflect on my own drafts. With practice, anyone can similarly utilize these AI assistants to develop evidence-based positioning on topics they are passionate about.

Writing the Article (Under an Hour)

My process began simply with formulating a central hypothesis from personal experience – that listening comprehension is essential for developing an “inner voice” in a new language.

I then used an AI search tool called SciSpace to instantly locate papers related to my premise from peer-reviewed academic journals. Rather than spending hours digging through databases, SciSpace provided concise summaries of resonance testing, vocabulary acquisition theory, and neurological studies - allowing me to efficiently identify the most applicable research.

After choosing two abstracts demonstrating scientific backing, I pasted these references along with my thesis outline into an AI tool. Within seconds, it generated a well-structured draft, encompassing key learnings from across these materials. The AI was able to analyze arguments and data from the abstracts to reinforce my hypothesis with evidence.

After several rounds of iteratively revising, extending, and refining with the AI assistant, I had a "technical" and "scientific" sounding blog post worthy of publication.

I then used a separate AI to have it critically evaluate or poke holes in my reasoning and highlight counter perspectives. This helped provide impartial feedback that can be hard to find even among people.

All said, I spent maybe 50 minutes total identifying my concept, compiling research, producing a draft, refining my position, and stress-testing my argumentation. This is significantly faster than the weeks or months it used to take to write a paper of this nature.

Impact

This radically efficient process promises to disrupt who gets a seat at the scientific table. With practice, anyone – not just those with years of higher education and access to expensive journals – can leverage AI to develop informed perspectives and meaningfully contribute to discussions.

This sharing of creation via these tools, may facilitate more diversity of thought and challenge the notion of monopolized expert wisdom across disciplines. We may see vibrant debates with engaged participation from interdisciplinary groups. Fields often plagued by insular thinking – such as physics, medicine, or economics – can benefit from the infusion of perspectives from attentive outsiders empowered by AI.

Power dynamics around credibility and qualifications may shift as well. For instance, patient advocacy groups could utilize tools like SciSpace to advance evidence-based reform agendas countering the influence of pharmaceutical lobbies.

Risks and Challenges

However, fully embracing this exponentially accelerating technology as the great equalizer demands caution and a critical perspective. Several risks could undermine AI's potential to democratize knowledge creation if left unaddressed.

First, while AI promises to increase accessibility, these models still require foundational guidance. They cannot originate brand-new scientific theories or topics alone. Human creativity and curiosity remain essential drivers of discovery. We must be thoughtful of who is asking the questions and setting the research agenda even as more participants have the ability to explore answers. There are real dangers if curiosity becomes increasingly narrow or monopolized.

I spent maybe 50 minutes total

Additionally, an author's subject matter grounding is still imperative when leveraging AI for analysis. As evident in my language learning article, I selected relevant papers and provided context on arguments related to my direct learning experiences. Without this orientation, AI could latch onto flawed assumptions or be manipulated to justify unsupported claims. We must acknowledge the continued need for human domain expertise even alongside increasingly sophisticated algorithms.

Finally, while AI makes contributing to discourse easier, quality control remains paramount in ensuring the integrity of scientific debate. More visibility does not intrinsically equate to more truth or wisdom. As publications like scientific journals adapt review processes in light of AI proliferation, maintaining standards around methodology, interpretation, and transparency will be critical. The same ethical diligence we expect from human researchers should extend to AI collaborators as well.

The Way Forward

In once unimaginable ways, AI is dismantling traditional chokepoints to information and analysis that long limited scientific participation. However, realizing the potential for more diverse, creative, and democratic truth-seeking demands proactive awareness and governance surrounding developing risks.

With vigilance, this technology promises to usher in an era of open-access, radically collaborative, insight generation across every facet of intellectual pursuit. If guided conscientiously, we may well look back on these embryonic applications of AI as the starting point for unprecedented human progress in the centuries ahead.

In the end, we may all become "experts".

As always, Thanks for reading!

Bradley Wargo