[jbstack]

As someone who has reached a useful level of conversational ability in two languages, primarily because of Anki, I strongly disagree that using it gets you "nowhere". I don't have the luxury of language immersion (e.g. living abroad or interacting daily with native speakers). For me, Anki has enabled a level of vocab and grammar recall that I simply wouldn't achieve any other way. Arguably more importantly, it has given me an easy way to achieve the discipline of spending at least 30 minutes a day studying the language. I'm far more likely on a daily basis to think "I need to complete my Anki due cards today" than I am to proactively find 30 minutes every day to study using other methods. In the end, as the author of the article notes, a learning method which you actually use is better than a theoretically superior method which you don't get around to using.

I've found non-language topics to be more challenging. Whether or not a card is useful depends largely on how well written it is. You need to find the right wording which captures the essence of the point while remaining simplistic and atomic enough that the card doesn't become tedious to re-visit. I'd argue that the process of crafting the right card is equivalent to digesting it and synthesizing your own thoughts on it. I'd also argue that if you believe Anki positions itself as a "shortcut" then you've probably used it incorrectly. It is indeed true that you get out what you put in, and low-effort Anki cards will most likely end up being abandoned or deleted. Useful cards require effort, the same as any other learning/memorising technique.