The more I use AI to do the thing, the more it feels like I didn't do the thing.

Yet the thing got done. Perhaps in the age of AI, it’s about making things get done.

When saying 'doing the thing', we often mean getting some progress or a result. I'd say you did the thing if you consider the result created by the AI acceptable.

Idk, depends. Is going to office-hours in order to pass an exam "doing the thing?" Help seems fine.

Similarly, is ordering Zhu Li to "Do the thing!" doing the thing?