AI as a learning coach – BionicOldGuy

It is recommended that we older adults keep our brains active so people read and play games like Sudoku. This is a step in the right direction. But I use AI as a learning coach on various topics and it’s not just about keeping my brain active. It makes it drink from a fire hose! I use Gemini for my AI stuff and it’s great. I chose this because I bought a Chromebook a little over a year ago and it included a free year of all of Google’s advanced AI (this marketing ploy was successful because I was addicted to it and recently paid for another year). I have friends who like to use other AIs like CoPilot, ChatGpt, Grok and Claude and they love them, so I’m not saying that what I show for Gemini couldn’t be done with the others. But my advice is to pick one and stick with it. In the first few years of working with AI, I dabbled in multiple versions without being particularly in-depth or proficient. But I’ve made a lot of progress in the last year by sticking to just one thing.

Another caveat I have to make is that not all of the features I mentioned are included in the free version of Gemini, which anyone with a Google account can use. As far as I know, most of them are, but especially with deep research I’m not sure.

I initially used Gemini for technical research, either in my own field or for medical questions. I am very interested in any ailments that I or my friends suffer from! I like to use deep research for this. You simply start a Gemini session and select “Deep Research” from the tools. I will search for a number of relevant websites and research papers related to your query and then come back with a detailed report. An important tip is to watch it for about a minute. It will then tell you its plan and you need to click Start. I made the mistake of walking away for several hours, coming back and waiting for my results, but it’s still waiting for you to click start. It may take a while after starting, so it’s a good idea to leave this window and come back later. The first thing I would like to point out is that in “Quick” mode you can get very good results faster without having to do in-depth research. But for more detailed results and a nice report that you can save as a document, I prefer “thinking mode” and in-depth research.

It also helps to explain your level of expertise, be it an amateur hobbyist, i.e. me in various areas, or someone with expertise and experience. So, for a technical question related to math or engineering, I would say, “I have a PhD in mechanical engineering and experience in numerical methods, but only have an undergraduate background in computer science and electronics.” But recently I asked something related to neuroscience and replied, “I don’t have a professional background in neuroscience, but I’m pretty knowledgeable about it as a hobby.”

I’ve already written blog posts about some of my research, such as adapting my training to address my leaky heart valve. But lately I’ve been turning to more “hobbyistic” interests like neuroscience. I will provide a concrete result below. First, however, I would like to give an overview of the possibilities. Your first choice is Quick or Think mode. “Fast” is great for most things and delivers faster results (hence the name). The thinking is still pretty fast, but goes a little deeper. After setting one of these options in the Gemini window, which will remain the default for future chats, you can easily query and get great results, even if you use it to learn a new topic. This is option 1. It will find a lot of information for you to answer your question and sometimes create things like spreadsheets to explain concepts.

Follow-up questions will then be suggested: “Would you like me to examine xxx” and all you have to do is say “yes” if you are interested. I learned a lot from following these. Option 2 is to specifically put it in learning mode by selecting the Guided Learning tool, which I love. This behaves similarly to a regular Gemini query, but adds images and tests to help you learn. Here’s how it describes itself: “A specialized interactive mode/tool within the app. Modular; it breaks down topics into a structured “learning path.” Automatically integrates charts, videos and images. Includes Canvas-based tests, flashcards, and study guides. Based on LearnLM, a model specifically designed for science learning.” The third option that I mentioned above is to turn on the deep research tool. However, for a topic you want to learn about, I don’t recommend this as it is much slower. Do extensive research on things you are already familiar with and delve deeper into a specific area. Sometimes I follow a study session with a detailed research session and then save the report from the in-depth research.

A simple example: the health benefits of pickleball

I was afraid that the neuroplasticity example I give below might scare people away because it still gets technical, even though I said I was an amateur in the field. After all, neuroscience is a fairly technical field. So let’s start with a simple example where I said not to keep it technical. This is a query in Gemini with guided learning enabled: “Assuming I am an adult layperson in the field, please keep the answer less technical. Is it true that pickleball has some health benefits for seniors?” The answer is still very informative, including a quiz and suggestions for further learning. Note that I kept this chat short, but I can come back to it later and learn more. results are Here.

Another example: the history of neuroplasticity

This request started with a funny anecdote I read about. In the last 1990s, the Dalai Lama asked visiting scientists an interesting question along these lines: Western science assumes that consciousness and our minds arise from our brains, which can be thought of as the mind being the software that runs on the brain, the hardware. Can anything the mind does change the brain? In particular, he thought about whether meditation could change the brain. The existing paradigm in neuroscience has been that our brains are only malleable in childhood, while there is very little neuroplasticity in adulthood. So all the neuroscientists said the answer was no. But we now know they were wrong, spectacularly wrong, and neuroplasticity and how consciousness can influence it is now a hot topic in neuroscience. And some of the best evidence comes from imaging the brains of advanced meditators, including the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan colleagues.

So I asked, “I don’t have a professional background in neuroscience, but am fairly knowledgeable about it as a hobby. I would like to know the history of developments in the understanding of neuroplasticity since the 1990s.” This led to an enjoyable exchange in which I learned a few things that I passed on Here.

I will be publishing weekly posts on areas relevant to healthy aging, both physical and mental, that I have explored with Gemini. I will always make sure that I acknowledge the AI. I don’t like it when people create blog posts or YouTube videos with AI and don’t acknowledge it. I think that’s like cheating on your homework!

Published
January 29, 2026January 28, 2026