Most People Are Learning the Wrong Way with AI
You think you’re learning—but chances are, AI is leaving your understanding empty
AI has changed how we work, how we think—and yes, how we learn. But here’s the problem: most people are learning the wrong way with it.
They ask ChatGPT to summarize a book, skim the response, nod thoughtfully, and move on. It feels like learning. But it’s not.
I’ve been experimenting with using AI to actually understand things better—and I’ve found one method that leads nowhere, and another that works surprisingly well.
Let’s talk about both.
The Summarizer Trap
This is the most common pattern I see: someone gives AI a long article, research paper, or book and asks for a summary. Then they read it and check the “learned” box.
It’s tempting. Fast. Efficient. But shallow.
Summaries are good for sounding smart at dinner conversations. Not so much for building real understanding. You don’t internalize the idea. You just glance at the outline and move on, thinking you’ve got it.
But what you’re left with is a hollow shell. There’s no depth, no mental model, no real comprehension.
The Simplifier Advantage
Here’s what actually works: ask AI to simplify instead of summarize.
There’s a subtle but crucial difference. Summarizing reduces the size. Simplifying reduces the complexity.
The other day I was reading a technical paper. After a few paragraphs, I was lost. So I copied the abstract into ChatGPT and asked it to explain it like I was 8 years old.
That changed everything.
Once the jargon was stripped away, I could finally see what the paper was trying to do. From there, I asked follow-up questions—“Now explain it to a 12-year-old.” Then again at a high-school level. I kept going until I could form a clear mental picture of the system.
That’s when learning clicked.
Generate Analogies
Another technique I use often: ask AI to generate analogies. Our brains love metaphors. A good one acts like Velcro for ideas—it makes them stick. And AI is surprisingly good at coming up with them.
So if you’re trying to learn something new, don’t just read the AI’s summary and walk away. Dig in. Make it teach you like you’re a beginner. Ask for analogies. Ask for examples. Ask until it clicks.
Use AI to Build Understanding, Not Skip the Work
The goal isn’t to finish the book or decode the paper.
The goal is to understand.
AI can accelerate your learning, but only if you use it to clarify—not to shortcut. The work still has to be done. But now you’ve got a tool that can walk you through the fog, one simple idea at a time.
Go use it. Not to feel smart—but to get smart.
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