> an artificial 'other' in this case but it is more or less like asking your nerdy friend to install that Linux thing for you. When it breaks you'll have to ask that nerdy friend again

It's either asking that nerdy friend again, 2 years from now when it breaks. Just like you would your own documentation and/or SO or Google. Zero difference except one saves you time.

Well, yes, or you make sure you can do that stuff yourself by actually doing it instead of leaving it to an agent. If you have to do it often you can leave some to agents but still do a few yourself so that you keep up to date and also can check whether what the agents do makes sense. You'll still save time, it might not even cost you any real time if you can handle a few cases while the agents take care of the others and you both finish around the same time. The agents may have done 10 times as much work as you did in that time but since you'd otherwise just have been waiting for them to do their thing you're not losing anything while you gain (or keep) experience.