I've been pretty heavily invested in the AI news space for a while, but due to budget constraints, I never really got to test these models.
I bit the bullet once DeepSeek v4 0731 came out and put in twenty dollars. I'd had experience with frontier models through chat window subscriptions, but having an agent was a whole different experience.
I built so many useful tools within a matter of hours for cents, and it really blew me away.
What amazes me more is how general these models are. Not only can I ask it to write code, but also to research, do security audits, etc. I'm not treating these models as gospel (yet); I always check their work.
I've also learned so much using these agents. I've pasted my notes about books I've read and asked it to quiz me to make sure I actually understand the ideas being presented. I finally learned C after procrastinating for months, using agents to get personalized feedback and a roadmap.
I'm also being extremly carful to not of load my critical thinking. Ever since I started using AI, I've made a pledge that, every day, I'll write a 250+ word essay about a topic, without any AI use (and usually search engines). I've also started to read more often. I hope these habits help counteract any cognitive decline that AI use causes.
I feel like I've unlocked the creativity and curiosity that was within me all along.
Every couple of weeks I get amazed just by how versatile these models are. For example, I was doing my daily NYC games, and I was really stumped on Connections (ifykyk). I didn't manage to solve it, but after sending a screenshot to Luna, it got first try (without using the internet). It just amazes me how you can describe almost any problem and get a reasonable-sounding answer/output.
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