Stop Asking AI to Write Your Code. Ask It to Explain Like You’re 5.

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

I use AI tools daily—most of us do. There’s a massive difference between using AI as a crutch and using it as a rocket booster for your brain.

At first, when I got stuck on a tough concept, I would paste the problem into ChatGPT and ask for the solution. It gave me working code, and I felt productive for a few minutes.

But then I realized something scary: if the AI disappeared tomorrow, I wouldn’t actually know how to solve the problem myself. I was outsourcing my understanding.

The Feynman Technique Meets AI

The Feynman Technique, named after physicist Richard Feynman, is simple: you don’t truly understand a complex topic until you can explain it in simple terms that a beginner (or a five‑year‑old) can grasp.

AI is incredibly good at generating complex, technical documentation, but it’s even better at generating dead‑simple analogies. Instead of asking AI to do the work for me, I started using it as the world’s most patient tutor.

The “Aha!” Moment: Python Lists and Zippers

Recently I was looking at some Python code involving list comprehensions and the zip function:

def mulTable(n):
    return [n * i for i in range(1, 11)]

l1 = mulTable(3)  # [3, 6, 9, ...]
l2 = mulTable(6)  # [6, 12, 18, ...]

# The confusing part:
s = [x + y for (x, y) in zip(l1, l2)]

A standard documentation search explains the last line as: “The list comprehension iterates over tuples generated by the zip object, aggregating elements based on their corresponding index.” Accurate, but it doesn’t stick in my brain.

So I changed my prompt and asked the AI: “Explain this code to me like I am 5 years old.” The explanation completely changed how I visualized the data.

The ELI5 Explanation

Instead of “iterating tuples,” the AI told a story about baskets and zippers:

• Imagine l1 and l2 are two long baskets full of numbered balls.
• The zip command is like the zipper on a jacket. It pulls the two baskets together, side‑by‑side.
• It takes the first ball from basket A and the first ball from basket B and squashes them together (adds them up).
• It moves down the line, zipping up the next pair, until it has a brand‑new basket.

Suddenly the code wasn’t abstract anymore—it was visual. I could “see” the zipper pulling the lists together.

How to Make This Work for You

When learning a new framework, language, or algorithm, don’t just ask for the “how.” Ask for an analogy.

Prompt Ideas

• “Explain the difference between Docker and Kubernetes using an analogy about shipping containers.”
• “Explain recursion like I’m a kindergartener stacking blocks.”
• “Don’t give me code. Give me a real‑world example of why I would use a linked list instead of an array.”

AI isn’t going to replace developers who truly understand their craft. Developers who use AI to deepen their understanding will replace those who just use it to copy‑paste.

If used properly, AI can be the best tutor you can have to teach absolutely anything—if the correct prompts are used!