Ivy has used Sable, her school-issued AI study companion, every night for almost a year. She mostly checks her math homework and quizzes herself before tests. Sable is patient, never annoyed by repeated questions. It's always ready with a slightly different way of explaining the same concept.
艾薇几乎每天晚上都用塞布尔，这是学校配发给她的人工智能学习伙伴，已经快一年了。她主要用它检查数学作业，考试前再用它给自己出题测验。塞布尔很有耐心，从不会因为她反复提问而厌烦。它总能换一种稍稍不同的方式，把同一个概念再讲一遍。
Lately, though, Ivy has noticed she reaches for Sable before even trying a problem herself. If a question looks slightly unfamiliar, she asks for a hint immediately instead of thinking it through.
不过最近，艾薇发现自己还没自己试一试，就先去找塞布尔。只要题目看上去稍微有点陌生，她就立刻请它给提示，而不是自己好好想一想。
The pattern catches up with her during a surprise quiz in class. It's the kind where no devices are allowed. Ivy stares at a geometry problem. It looks almost exactly like ones Sable has walked her through dozens of times. But without the AI's gentle prompts, her mind goes completely blank.
这个习惯在一次课堂突击测验上找上了她。那种测验不许用任何设备。艾薇盯着一道几何题。它看起来和塞布尔带她做过几十遍的题几乎一模一样。可是没有了人工智能那些温和的提示，她的脑子里一片空白。
She manages to finish the quiz, though barely, and her score comes back lower than she expected. That evening, instead of opening Sable right away, she sits with her notebook. She forces herself to work through similar problems slowly, writing out every step by hand.
她总算把测验做完了，不过很勉强，成绩发下来，比她预想的低。那天晚上，她没有马上打开塞布尔，而是坐下来对着笔记本。她逼着自己慢慢地做类似的题，每一步都用手写出来。
It's frustrating at first, and she makes several mistakes she probably wouldn't have made with Sable's hints nearby. But by the third problem, something shifts. She starts recognizing the pattern on her own, without needing anyone, or anything, to point it out.
一开始很让人沮丧，她犯了好几个错误，要是有塞布尔的提示在旁边，她多半不会犯。可是做到第三道题，有些东西变了。她开始自己认出其中的规律，不需要任何人或者任何东西来指出。
The next day, she opens Sable again, but with a new rule for herself. She'll attempt every problem alone first, and only ask for help if she's genuinely stuck after several tries.
第二天，她又打开了塞布尔，不过给自己定了一条新规矩。每道题她都要先自己试，只有在试了好几次、真的卡住的时候，才开口求助。
"You've been quieter than usual," Sable notes after a few days of this new approach. Its tone sounds curious rather than concerned.
“你最近比平时安静，”塞布尔在她这样做了几天之后说。它的语气听起来是好奇，而不是担心。
"I'm trying to actually learn this," Ivy admits, "not just get through it."
“我是想真正学会这些，”艾薇坦白地说，“而不只是应付过去。”
Sable's reply appears a moment later: "That sounds like real progress. I'll still be here whenever you need me."
过了一会儿，塞布尔的回复出现了：“这听起来是真正的进步。你需要我的时候，我依然会在这里。”
Ivy smiles, oddly proud of a version of herself that needed a little less help than before.
艾薇笑了，莫名地为那个比以前少依赖一点帮助的自己感到骄傲。
