Smarter Learning With AI

Hi this is Ray,

When AI tools like ChatGPT first came out, my brain went straight to “Can I finally get a robot to do my taxes?” or “Will this thing pass the Turing test if I make it watch all nine Star Wars movies, including the ones we pretend don’t exist?” What I didn’t expect was how much AI could actually help me learn faster, deeper, and with less frustration.

If you’ve ever tried to study something hard, you know the pain: textbooks thicker than your arm, professors who speak only in riddles, or online videos where the instructor’s monotone could put Red Bull to sleep. Enter AI. Used well, it can be like having your own personal Yoda… Minus the swamp smell. Used poorly, it can turn into a procrastination black hole where you end up asking a chatbot who would win in a fight, Gandalf or Dumbledore. (Answer: the fans lose.)

So let’s talk about how to actually use AI efficiently for learning. Not just to look smart on Twitter, but to really acquire, understand, and retain knowledge.

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Step 1: Use AI to break down complexity

One of the most powerful things AI can do is simplify. Cognitive load theory tells us our brains can only juggle so much information before shutting down and going for a snack. That’s why trying to learn advanced calculus straight from a research paper feels like reading Elvish without subtitles.

AI can take a complex concept and explain it at different levels. You can literally ask: “Explain this like I’m 5,” then “Explain this for a college student,” then “Explain this for a researcher.” Each pass builds scaffolding in your brain, helping you climb toward mastery.

Action tip: next time you hit a dense passage, feed it to an AI and ask for layered explanations. It’s like having a teacher who can instantly switch between Sesame Street and MIT.

Step 2: Use AI for active recall, not passive reading

Here’s a dirty secret: reading summaries is not learning. Real learning happens when you try to pull information out of your brain, not when you stuff more in. This is called active recall, and research shows it’s one of the most effective study methods.

AI can quiz you endlessly without judging you. You can say, “Make me 10 flashcards on this topic,” or “Ask me 5 practice questions and don’t tell me the answers until I try.” Suddenly, your AI is less a Wikipedia clone and more like your personal Mr. Miyagi, throwing mental punches until you block them automatically.

Action tip: after studying something, have AI quiz you. Do it repeatedly until your brain answers before you finish reading the question.

Step 3: Use AI to generate analogies

We humans learn by connecting new information to what we already know. The fancy name is “schema theory.” AI is great at coming up with analogies. If you’re trying to understand how blockchain works, AI can compare it to a shared Google Doc. If you’re struggling with photosynthesis, it can liken it to solar panels on a plant’s roof.

Analogies make abstract ideas concrete. And once you have a mental hook, the rest of the information hangs there like ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Action tip: whenever something feels abstract, ask AI, “Give me three analogies for this concept, one funny, one simple, one technical.” Pick the one that sticks.

Step 4: Use AI to personalize your learning style

Not everyone learns the same way. Some of us are visual learners, others auditory, and some of us learn best by pretending we’re explaining things to our cat. AI can adapt the same content into different formats: text summaries, diagrams, bullet points, even fake dialogues.

Action tip: if you’re bored with a topic, ask AI to reframe it. Turn it into a story, a debate, a quiz, or even a comic script. Variety keeps your brain engaged, and engagement fuels retention.

Step 5: Use AI to practice explaining

The “Feynman Technique” says that if you can’t explain something simply, you don’t really understand it. AI is a perfect sparring partner for this. You explain what you think you know, and the AI pokes holes in it, asking clarifying questions or pointing out where you’re fuzzy.

Action tip: after learning, type out your explanation as if teaching a beginner. Ask AI to critique it. If it finds gaps, go back and fill them. Rinse and repeat until your explanation holds water.

Step 6: Use AI for spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is the learning equivalent of lifting weights. Instead of cramming, you revisit information at increasing intervals, which strengthens memory. Apps like Anki already do this, but AI can create personalized review schedules and tailor practice questions exactly where you’re weak.

Action tip: after a study session, ask AI, “Create a 7-day review plan for this topic.” Then actually follow it. By day 7, you’ll feel like Neo dodging bullets… You just know things automatically.

Step 7: Use AI to create projects, not just notes

Here’s where most learners mess up: they consume information but don’t apply it. Application is what cements knowledge. AI can help you design mini-projects based on what you’re studying. Learning Python? Ask AI to help you build a text-based game. Studying history? Have AI generate a debate script where you argue as Churchill against Roosevelt.

Action tip: always end a study session by asking AI, “What’s a small project I can do with this knowledge right now?” Then do it. Knowledge applied is knowledge retained.

Step 8: Use AI responsibly (avoid the lazy trap)

Here’s the danger: AI makes things easy, and easy feels good. But easy rarely equals learning. If you use AI only for answers without effort, you’re outsourcing your brain. It’s like watching someone else go to the gym for you and expecting to get fit.

The efficient way to use AI is as a coach, not a crutch. Let it push you, not replace you. Use it to explain, quiz, and challenge, not to spoon-feed.

Action tip: every time you ask AI for an answer, try to predict it first. Compare what you thought with what it gave you. That little struggle builds real memory.

Final thoughts

AI is not the future of learning… It’s the present. But like any tool, it can either sharpen you or dull you. Use it to simplify, quiz, analogize, personalize, critique, space your practice, and build projects. Don’t use it to avoid thinking.

If Socrates had an AI, he wouldn’t have asked it to write his dialogues for him. He would have grilled it with questions until the poor bot begged for mercy. That’s the spirit: use AI as your student and your teacher, sparring partner and guide.

So the next time you sit down to learn something hard, don’t just open your notes. Open your AI assistant. With the right approach, it can turn the impossible into possible, the boring into engaging, and the confusing into clear.

And who knows… Maybe someday it will even explain to me why my guitar still sounds like a dying walrus.

Citations

1. Sweller, J. (1988). “Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning.” Cognitive Science. Link

2. Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). “The critical importance of retrieval for learning.” Science. Link

3. Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2006). “Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis.” Psychological Bulletin. Link