AI as your personal tutor: learn almost anything you’ve always wanted to know
Most of us carry around a small list of subjects we have always meant to understand properly: how the stock market actually works, why the stars sit where they do, a little Italian before a holiday or what on earth is going on in a painting everyone else seems to admire. Life gets in the way and the list just stays a list.
AI changes that, quietly and for free. It has effectively read further into almost every subject than any single teacher could manage in a lifetime and it is endlessly patient about explaining it back to you at exactly the pace you need. It is about curiosity and there is nothing quite like following it.
What makes AI a good tutor
A good tutor does more than recite facts. They work out what you already know, explain things at your pace and give you something small to try. AI manages all of this in a single ongoing conversation. It will start wherever you are, whether that is right at the beginning or half-remembering something from school forty years ago. It will explain a point a different way if you’d like another angle, answer whatever question occurs to you next and build you a short quiz if you would like to check things are sinking in. Ask it to remember where you got to and it will pick the conversation back up exactly where you left off.
Subjects worth trying
Here are some of the things people have discovered they can finally get their heads around, each one with a prompt you could use word for word to get started.
Astronomy. Understanding what you are actually looking at in the night sky, from the planets visible to the naked eye to why the stars appear to move through the seasons. “I’ve always wanted to understand astronomy. Can you start with the basics, check I understand as we go and build up from there?”
A language before a trip. A few weeks is plenty of time to arrive with a handful of real phrases and the confidence to use them. “I’m going to Italy in a few weeks and have never learned any Italian. Can you teach me the phrases I’ll actually need, a little at a time and test me as we go?”
How the stock market works. What shares actually are, why prices move and the everyday language used on the news, all explained clearly. “I’ve never really understood how the stock market works. Can you explain it from the very beginning, in plain English, without assuming I already know anything?”
Art appreciation. Understanding a movement or an artist well enough to notice things in a painting you would otherwise walk straight past. “Can you teach me about the Impressionist painters? Start with why they mattered and tell me what to look for the next time I see one of their paintings.”
Classical music. Getting to know a handful of composers and what actually makes their music distinctive, so a concert or the radio becomes even more rewarding. “I’d like to understand classical music better. Can you introduce me to a few famous composers and explain what makes each of them recognisable?”
A period of history. The Tudors, Ancient Egypt, the Second World War or anything else you have always been curious about. “I’ve always been curious about Ancient Egypt. Can you teach me the basics and let me ask questions as they come to mind?”
Mythology and legends. Greek, Norse or Egyptian mythology and how all those names and family trees actually fit together. “Can you teach me Greek mythology from scratch, starting with the main gods and how they’re all connected?”
Wine. What the labels actually mean, the difference between grape varieties and what to look for, so you can choose with real confidence. “I’d like to understand wine better; grape varieties, regions, what to look for on a label. Can you teach me gradually rather than all at once?”
How things actually work. Earthquakes, vaccines, the internet or any other everyday mystery science can explain simply once someone takes the time. “I’ve always wondered how earthquakes actually happen. Can you explain it simply and then let me ask follow-up questions?”
Philosophy. The big questions people have been arguing about for thousands of years, explained without the jargon. “I’d like an introduction to philosophy: the big questions philosophers ask and a few famous ideas, explained simply.”
Basic sign language. A practical, everyday skill as well as an interesting one. “I’d like to learn some basic British Sign Language. Can you teach me a handful of everyday signs to start with?”
The list could go on and on. Whatever you have always wondered about is worth asking, whether or not it appears here.
Getting the most from it
Be honest about your starting point. “This is all new to me” or “I did this at school a long time ago” gets you an answer pitched exactly right for you. Ask it to check your understanding as it goes, rather than simply talking at you: “Can you ask me a question every so often to check I’m following?” If a subject has stages, ask it to keep track for you: “Can you remember where we got to, so we can pick this up again another day?” If you’d like it faster or slower, say so. “Can you slow down, this is a lot to take in” works exactly as well as “Can you speed up, I already know this bit.”
A subject I came to love
I asked AI to teach me the basics of astronomy purely out of curiosity, starting from little more than spotting the Plough on a clear night. Within a few exchanges it had worked out what I could actually see from my own garden, checked my understanding with a couple of simple questions along the way and built up from there at a pace that suited me. What could easily have felt like homework felt more like a conversation with a very patient friend who happened to know a great deal about the stars.
Questions you can use word for word
Where you see words in [square brackets], just swap them for your own details before you send it.
“I’ve always wanted to learn about [subject]. Can you teach me from the very beginning and check my understanding as we go?”
“Can you give me a short quiz on what we’ve covered so far?”
“I’ve forgotten everything I learned about this at school. Can we start again from scratch, without assuming I remember anything?”
“Can you remind me where we got to last time we talked about this?”
“Can you explain that a different way? It didn’t quite make sense the first time.”
A sensible note
AI is an excellent starting point for almost any subject. Now and then it can get a detail wrong, particularly something obscure or a figure that changes over time. Treat what you learn as a strong foundation and if a fact really matters, such as a specific historical date, a legal position or a financial figure, it is worth checking against a second source before relying on it.
A note on dates. Everything here was checked when it was written and I go back over my posts regularly to keep them up to date. Apps, prices and rules do change, so for anything important a quick look at the official source is worth it.
Curious about something specific?
If there is a subject you have always wanted to understand, bring it along to one of my sessions and I will show you how to start the conversation yourself. Prefer more time and focus? Book a one-to-one coaching hour and go as deep as you like.
See upcoming library events Try apps, songs & games made with AI