I can corroborate this. I coached mechanical engineers who had to learn some programming to conduct research by analyzing factory machine data I provided them (them being the domain experts). The ones who learned python and sql using AI hardly had learned anything after half a year, the ones I instructed where to find the API docs and a beginner tutorial weren’t just much further along, they were also on a faster trajectory for the future. I think AI is a beginner trap because it allows them to throw shit at the wall and see what sticks. It is much more useful in the hands of an expert in the long term.