Megan Ellis / Android Authority
I’m typically a generative AI skeptic, but this doesn’t mean I’m not open to new AI tools that could be useful. After all, I found ways to use NotebookLM in my daily life even though I’m not a student. I even use Gemini’s Live mode to practice my second language. So when Guided Learning rolled out to the Gemini app, I wanted to test out whether it could turn my eagerness to learn new things into actual knowledge. The results were mixed, however.
Have you found AI learning tools useful? 16 votes Yes, but it depends on the model. 63 % Somewhat, but there are drawbacks (let us know in the comments!). 19 % No, not at all. 19 %
Gemini’s Guided Learning got me excited about learning again
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
I absolutely love learning new things, which is why I have apps that let me learn something new every day. However, I have also been very burnt out due to stress and learning has taken a backseat. When Google rolled out Guided Learning for Gemini, I decided to use it to dive into topics that I’ve been having trouble researching. Self-hosting is one of these topics. The subject is vast and even though I’ve been self-hosting services for months, there’s still so much to learn. I have particularly been having trouble wrapping my head around certain networking concepts. Despite spending hours researching different tools, it was difficult to develop a clear understanding because I don’t have any experience in IT. Once I saw that Guided Learning is now available, I saw this as my chance to really advance my knowledge. I would be able to ask questions I might be too embarrassed to ask colleagues and Redditors and I could add follow-up enquiries when an explanation needs to be simplified a bit more.
I was excited to get started with Guided Learning to learn more about self-hosting concepts.
Up until now, I used queries through Brave’s search engine to learn about concepts. But I often end up getting derailed as I go between different websites or add additional queries. I also wanted to try out Google’s Learn About app, but it’s not available in my region yet.
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
The first session with Guided Learning was productive. Even though my prompt was very broad, the chatbot offered me some choices for which core concepts I’d like to start with. It provided a digestible breakdown of the topic and asked follow-up questions to check my understanding. It encouraged me when I got things right and it didn’t feel intimidating at all. I could also generate quizzes and flash cards to go over concepts and test my knowledge. It made it easier for me to understand concepts like a reverse proxy versus a Cloudflare tunnel, along with their benefits. I was specifically able to ask it about which approach would be better for a beginner to implement. I also eventually dove into the topic of central sensitization, which I wanted to expand my knowledge on due to its role in two conditions I have: fibromyalgia and chronic migraines. I have familiarity with the concept, but wanted to find out about its role and differences in each condition. The chatbot was able to adapt to my questions and made sure not to present information in a way that was overwhelming. If I asked a complex question, it would handle concepts separately to make sure I understood them. It was also able to easily switch between topics. I could start a session on self-hosting, then switch it to a completely different concept or topic within the same session. In this way, I’d say it is a little bit better than a real-life tutor because it has access to the internet as its knowledge base. This means I could essentially follow my bliss and ask it any questions on topics I found interesting. If I was talking to a person, it would be unlikely they had the knowledge of all the different topics I wanted to discuss. I also like that it can generate diagrams to help with visual learning, although I did find the results mixed. The quizzes were the best part since they allowed me to apply my newly learned knowledge. However, the honeymoon ended more quickly than I anticipated and small flaws quickly turned into major frustrations that limited my learning experience.
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