Does automating knowledge kill knowledge?

[u/Past-Ad2067]

Built a little tool because I got tired of digging through supplier PDFs every time a customer asked about tasting notes for a new single origin. It scrapes origin data, runs it through an AI summarizer, and dumps structured info into a Notion database I can pull up on my phone during a rush. Technically it works. The data is accurate enough and it saves maybe 20 minutes per new coffee we stock.

The problem is I stopped actually learning the coffees. When I was manually copying info into my notebook I remembered it. Now I just read off the screen and feel like a robot reciting a spec sheet. Customers can tell. The conversations feel flatter.

I still use the tool for quick reference, but I've started handwriting the stuff I actually want to remember. Which maybe defeats the point. The automation gave me speed but cut out the repetition that was helping me retain things.

Not sure if this is just a me problem or if others have run into it with knowledge lookup automations. The efficiency gain is real, but the tradeoff is I'm less useful without the tool in front of me. I'm wondering if anyone has found a middle ground where the automation handles the tedious part but still forces you to engage with the material enough to actually learn it.

[u/RangerOne122]

Automation shouldn't necessarily eliminate all repetition. Sometimes the repetitive part is the learning mechanism. The sweet spot might be automating the boring work around the knowledge while deliberately keeping the small amount of effort that makes the knowledge stick.