Learning Reimagined: How AI Can Make You Smarter, Not Lazier
Why Most People Think AI Kills Learning
Everyone’s talking about AI doing the work for us. Essays, presentations, reports, exams. AI can do it all for you, often in seconds.
Education institutions are scrambling to detect AI-generated content because students are skipping the learning part entirely (although you could argue that they are learning how to be pretty good prompt engineers).
And professionals? Many default to AI shortcuts to save time.
The risk is obvious: the more we outsource thinking, the less we actually learn.
And the less we learn, the less domain expertise that we have.
But here’s the twist: the same AI that can make us lazy can also make us smarter learners...if used intentionally. Learning isn’t just about answers. It’s about understanding, connecting, and retaining.
And AI can amplify every one of those steps.
How I Turned a Dense Textbook into an Engaging Podcast
I’ve been diving into an emerging behavioral sciences modality. The seminal textbook is dense, academic, and citation-heavy. Every paragraph is packed with randomized controlled study references making it borderline unreadable.
In other words, it feels like something written more for in machine than a human.
So here's how I AI-ified this content: I uploaded the PDF into Google's Notebook LLM, split it into chapters, and checkboxed one chapter at a time.
Using a carefully crafted prompt, I generate a long-form podcast episode based on each chapter.
The result? Each episode has two very human-sounding hosts unpacking the material in real time, weaving in modern anecdotes, analogies, and practical examples. As humans, we are wired to listen to stories.
My Zone 2 cardio + airpods is now a master class in a behavioral science topic.
IMO, there is simply no better way to make complex concepts stick than engaging storytelling.
Steal the Prompt I Use
You can replicate this approach. Here’s the exact prompt I feed into Notebook LLM for each chapter:
“You are creating a long-form podcast episode based ONLY on the provided chapter content. Do NOT simplify too much or skip technical details. Treat the listener as intelligent but unfamiliar with this chapter. Your job is to extract the maximum value from the chapter by doing all of the following:
Explain the chapter in a structured way, following the chapter’s actual flow and logic.
Identify the key concepts, frameworks, definitions, and distinctions, and repeat them until they stick.
Translate complex passages into clear language, but always restate the original technical meaning.
Give concrete examples for every abstract concept (real-world or hypothetical).
Highlight any ‘exam-worthy’ material: lists, principles, formulas, classifications, step-by-step processes, or named theories.
Explain how ideas connect: cause/effect relationships, dependencies, and what concepts build on others.
Call out common misunderstandings or traps a student might fall into.
Keep the conversational chemistry and banter, but ensure the hosts use their back-and-forth to clarify the technical points rather than just agreeing. One host should play the role of the ‘Curious Professional’ who asks the tough questions the listener is thinking.
Include short recap checkpoints every 5–10 minutes summarizing what has been covered so far.
End with a final review section that includes: the 10 most important takeaways, a glossary of key terms and definitions, and 10 self-test questions (with answers).
Tone: engaging, teacher-like, highly explanatory. Length: as long as needed to fully cover the chapter. Do not compress.”
How You Can Use This System
Chunk and Upload: Break any textbook, PDF, presentation, or even style guide into chapters or sections. Upload them to Notebook LLM.
Run the Prompt: Use the above prompt for each section. You’ll get a rich, fully narrated episode with examples, recaps, and explanations.
Generate Multiple Learning Formats: From each chapter, produce flashcards, quizzes, infographics, slide decks, or even audio/video overviews.
Track Progress: Use checkboxes in Notebook LLM to track completed chapters, outputs generated, and any follow-up questions.
Iterate and Deepen: Ask follow-up questions in chat to clarify concepts, test edge cases, or explore real-world applications.
Unlocking Your Brain’s Full Potential with AI
One way to think about AI is as a tool to outsource tasks. people are slowly getting their heads around the fact that you can build entire systems around those tasks with AI.
But if you want to go a layer deeper to enrich yourself as a human, you can also build a learning engine.
You can tackle dense content, retain more, and even create custom study tools without needing a course or instructor. For $20/month, this system scales far beyond what traditional learning methods offer.
Here is the question I find myself asking more often: Am I using AI to just do the work, or to become the person who can do the work better, faster, and deeper?
Find your next edge,
Eli
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