Anyone can now ask an AI to explain calculus, contract law or how to set up a database, and get a patient, clear and free answer at three in the morning. The theoretical part of education has become almost free. What is still scarce is something else: an experienced person who knows your situation and tells you what to do with it.
What AI does very well
- Explains concepts at your pace, with examples made for you.
- Summarizes, organizes notes and corrects drafts.
- Answers a specific question in seconds.
What still needs a person
- Judgment. Knowing which of ten reasonable options fits you, and which one is a trap you only recognize after stepping in it.
- Context. An AI knows the world in general; a mentor knows the industry, the city, the people and the moment.
- Candor. Someone who says "this isn't ready" or "you are avoiding the important decision".
- Doors. An introduction to the right person is worth more than a hundred hours of study.
- Accountability. Promising someone you will make progress in two weeks is different from promising yourself.
A shift that is already visible
A recent episode of Peter Diamandis's Moonshots podcast (episode 307) pointed out that US university enrollment in computer science fell by more than 12% this fall, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, and that MBA applications are dropping too. The explanation the hosts gave: many young people doubt that the degree alone is still the path. When analysis, frameworks and slide decks are done by a machine, what is valued is judgment, relationships and taste.
You don't have to share every prediction on that podcast to see the underlying idea: when knowledge is abundant, guidance is what is valuable.
What MiMentor is
MiMentor (my mentor) exists to make that guidance easy to find. Each mentor publishes a profile and has an AI assistant that imitates the way they reason, so you can think things through with it between sessions. When you want a real conversation, you book a session with the person. The AI prepares and accompanies; the mentor decides and answers for real.
In the next articles we cover how a mentorship works, how to choose a mentor, and why, for many young people, good mentors plus building something of their own can be a better investment than another degree.