Adapted by:
Javier Lacort
Senior WriterI write long-form content at Xataka about the intersection between technology, business and society. I also host the daily Spanish podcast Loop infinito (Infinite Loop), where we analyze Apple news and put it into perspective.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
Nityesh Agarwal is an engineer at Every. When he spent two weekends learning about special relativity with ChatGPT, he didn’t just ask a few questions. He posed more than 100 inquiries, and Albert Einstein transformed from a mere name in Agarwal’s textbooks into concepts he could explain to anyone in just five minutes.
As a software engineer with no formal training in physics, Agarwal achieved what once required extensive education: an understanding of why time slows down near the speed of light.
Interestingly, his success wasn’t due to the specific AI model he used. He preferred GPT-4o over the newly released o3 because he felt it addressed his questions more effectively. The key to his learning technique lay in several methods:
- Asking multiple questions.
- Requesting metaphors to clarify complex ideas.
- Drawing diagrams when he encountered difficulties.
- Sharing each insight to confirm his understanding.
In essence, Agarwal used AI for its true potential: as a patient tutor capable of rephrasing concepts from different angles until the student fully comprehends the material.
There’s an often-overlooked issue. Most people use ChatGPT and similar tools merely as enhanced search engines, asking one question at a time and moving on to the next topic. They treat it like an advanced calculator or a sophisticated translator.
Agarwal found that the main barrier to personalized learning isn’t the machine’s intelligence but rather the student’s patience and persistence. AI has the potential to teach anyone anything, but it requires a level of dedication similar to what Agarwal displayed over those two weekends.
As a result, a new class of self-taught individuals is emerging: People who recognize that after the Internet, AI represents the second great revolution.
While the Internet democratized access to knowledge, large language models democratize access to personalized education. While AI can make some individuals lazier, it can propel others to become unstoppable learners.
The true advantage doesn’t lie in having access to information. It lies in the ability to ask the right questions and the perseverance to keep asking them until everything becomes clear.
Image | William Felipe Seccon
View 0 comments