The largest disadvantage to not having, essentially, an apprenticeship is the stuff you don't learn.

Now, if you want to research something where all you need is a keen wit, and there's not a ton of knowledge for you to pick up before you start... sure, go ahead. But those topics are few and far between. (EDIT: oh, LW-ish stuff. Meh. Sure, then, I guess. I thought you meant researching something hard >:DDDDD

No, but really, if smart people have been doing research there for 50 years and we don't have AI, that means that "seems easy to make progress" is a dirty lie. It may mean that other people haven't learned much to teach you, though - you should put some actual effort (get responses from at least two experts) finding out of this is the case)

Usually, an apprenticeship will teach you:

• What needs to be done in your field.

• How to write, publicize and present your work. The communication protocols of the community. How to access the knowledge of the community.

• How to use all the necessary equipment, including the equipment that builds other equipment.

• How to be properly rigorous - a hard one in most fields, you have to make it instinctual rather than just known.

• The subtle tricks an experienced researcher uses to actually do research - all sorts of things you might not have noticed on your own.

• And more!