The rapid rise of digital tech has already given us the Google effect—the idea that our memories are much worse now that everything can be looked up online in seconds. Now we've now got the AI effect to contend with, too. We can now get everything summarized, written, and explained for us, which means far less of a need to actually think.
Why bother reading through Othello when ChatGPT can summarize the main plot beats and cut out the filler? Is it necessary to learn to code when Gemini can do it for you? It's a strange new world we're going into, and generative AI has already been hugely disruptive for the education sector.
With that in mind, both ChatGPT and Gemini have now launched app modes that attempt to teach and educate you on your chosen topics of discussion, rather than just simply serving up the answers. Might these modes help reduce AI-related brain rot and keep our gray cells functioning? I've given them both a try in an attempt to find out.
Getting started with study modes
In ChatGPT there's now what's called Study Mode, "a learning experience that helps you work through problems step by step instead of just getting an answer," and it's available to all ChatGPT users—whether you're paying for a subscription or not. It'll work for homework help, test prep, and more, ChatGPT says.
You can get to Study Mode in ChatGPT on the web by clicking the + (plus) button to the left of the prompt box, then choosing More > Study and learn. If you're inside the mobile app, just tap the + button by the prompt box then Study and learn. You'll see a little Study chip appears by the prompt box, together with some suggestions to start your learning.
With the mode enabled, you can start asking questions—but you may need to specifically tell ChatGPT to "help me learn this" or "help me study," depending on the prompt. You'll know when Study Mode is active, because the answers will be split into several learning steps, and the chatbot will ask you questions along the way to check you've underwood and absorbed everything so far.
When it comes to Gemini, the name used is Guided Learning. According to Google, it "breaks down problems step-by-step and adapts explanations to your needs—all to help you build knowledge and skills." It's available to all Gemini users, so you don't have to pay for a subscription plan to gain access to it.
The process of getting started isn't too different from ChatGPT, though at the time of writing you can only access Guided Learning in Gemini through the web app—it's currently still being rolled out to the mobile apps. In Gemini in your browser, click the three dots at the bottom of the prompt box then Guided Learning, then compose your prompt.
As with ChatGPT, you may need to specify that you want to learn or need help with a problem to get the right prompts, but it does depend to some extent what you're asking about. If you present a homework problem, for example, then Guided Learning kicks in right away. Rather than seeing answers to your prompts, you'll get a bit of information, then questions that test your learning.
How the study modes stack up
First, I got ChatGPT and Gemini to try and teach me the basics of DNA and how it works. There were similarities in both cases: The AI chatbots regularly asked me which parts of the topics I wanted to focus on, and started with simple concepts before moving on to more complex ideas, and checking my knowledge with questions as they went.
With ChatGPT, these questions were usually based on the previous text, making sure I'd read through it and caught the details. With Gemini, the questions tended to be more tangential—so asking what I might compare a DNA double helix to, for example, rather than trying to get me to remember something about it.
Next, I tried a specific math question with both AIs, based on combinatorics. Gemini was more helpful here, guiding me more carefully through the concepts and giving context where necessary. When I went wrong, Gemini went into detail about why, and gave me simpler examples of the math to demonstrate the right approach.
ChatGPT was more prescriptive, tending to tell me what to do more often, with less explanation—so I got to the result more quickly, but with less learning (though it did offer up a neat trick for working out multiplications). At the end, both AI bots offered to give me more practice questions, based on the one I'd asked.
Finally, I gave ChatGPT and Gemini the job of teaching me about a famous historical battle. Again, ChatGPT was more to the point and quicker with the facts, with a few testing questions sprinkled throughout based on its responses. Gemini took longer, giving me prompts to get me thinking why one event might lead to another, and going into more background and context—it's a more thorough and detailed approach, which may or may not be what you're looking for from your learning.
Overall, these study modes weren't quite as different from normal AI conversations as I expected: You could get more or less the same results just by telling ChatGPT or Gemini to test your knowledge alongside giving you responses. These are still far from being actual AI tutors, but for me the Gemini option is the more rewarding and helpful one at the moment—and worth trying if you want to learn about a subject.
Disclosure: Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
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