/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25727343/Screenshot_2024_11_11_at_3.53.01_PM.jpeg?w=696&resize=696,0&ssl=1 "Google’s AI “learning companion” takes chatbot responses a step further")
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Google launched an experimental new AI tool called Learn Aboutwhich is different from the chatbots we are used to such as Gemini and ChatGPT. It is based on the LearnLM AI model, which Google introduced this spring, saying it is “based on educational research and tailored to how people learn.” The answers it includes include more visual and interactive elements in an educational format.
We tested Learn About and Google Gemini with a uncomplicated question: “How big is the universe?” They both replied that the “observable universe” is “about 93 billion light-years in diameter.”
However, while Gemini chose to show a diagram of the universe provided by Wikipedia and a two-paragraph summary with links to sources, Learn About enhanced the image from the educational website Physics Forums and added related content that similarly focused more on the science than just providing facts and definitions.
Learn About’s response also created textbook-style fields that provide additional context, such as “why this is important,” and fields that aid “build vocabulary” with word definitions. Additional topics appear in the sidebar and can be continued using the tool.
We also asked “What is the best glue to put on pizza?” (Google’s AI search reviews have had issues with this issue in the past) and he managed to fix it, even if the “common misconception” sticker makes us wonder how many times this question has been asked.