AI as a training coach – BionicOldGuy

We adults are advised to keep our brains active so people read and play games like sudoku. This is a step in the right direction. But I use AI as a training coach on various topics and it not only keeps my brain active. Makes him drink from a fire hose! I use Gemini for my AI stuff and it’s amazing. I picked it up because I bought a Chromebook a little over a year ago and it came with a free year of all Google’s advanced AI (this marketing ploy was successful because I got hooked and recently paid for another year). I have friends who like to use other AIs like CoPilot, ChatGpt, Grok and Claude and love them, so I won’t say that what I show for Gemini can’t be done with others. But my advice is to pick one and stick with it. In the first few years I was involved with AI, I dabbled with a few versions and didn’t get very deep or experienced. But I’ve made a lot of progress in the last year sticking to just one thing.

Another caveat I should make is that not all the features I mention are in the free version of Gemini, which anyone with a Google account can use. As far as I know most are, but I’m not too sure about Deep Research.

I started using Gemini for technical research, either in my field or for medical related questions. I have a deep interest in any condition that I or my friends are affected by! For this I like to use Deep Research. You simply start a Gemini session and select « Deep Research » from the tools. I go out and find a bunch of relevant websites and research papers for your query and then come back with a detailed report. An important tip is to watch it for about a minute. Then it will tell you its plan and you have to press start. I made the mistake of leaving for a few hours, coming back and waiting for my results, but it’s still waiting for you to hit start. Once you start, it can take a while, so it’s a good idea to leave this window and come back later. The first thing I would point out is that you can get very good results faster in « quick » mode without using deep research. But for more detailed results and a nice report that you can save as a document, I prefer « thinking » mode and deep research.

It also helps to explain what your level of experience is, from a hobbyist, which is me in various fields, or someone with professional expertise and experience. So for a technical math or engineering problem, I’ll say « I have a PhD in mechanical engineering and experience in numerical methods, but only computer science and electronics at the undergraduate level. » But I recently asked something related to neuroscience, so I said « I don’t have a professional background in neuroscience, but I’m pretty well read in it as a hobby. »

I’ve previously blogged about some of my research findings, such as modifying my training to accommodate my leaky heart valve. But lately I’ve branched out into more « hobby » interests like neuroscience. I will give a concrete result for this below. But first I want to give an overview of the options. Your first choice is fast or thinking mode. Fast works great for most things and gives faster results (hence the name). The thinking is still pretty fast, but it goes a little deeper. Once you set one of them, which will remain the default for future chats, from the Gemini window, you can simply make a request and get great results, even if you use it to learn a new topic. This is option 1. He will find a lot of information to answer your question and sometimes do things like spreadsheets to explain concepts.

It will then offer follow-up prompts “Do you want me to explore xxx” and you just have to say yes if you are interested. I learned a lot by chasing them. Option 2 is to put it specifically in training mode by choosing the ‘guided training’ tool which I love. This will behave similarly to a normal Gemini query, but adds images and quizzes to help you learn. Here’s how it’s described: « Specialized interactive mode/in-app tool. Modular; separates topics into a structured ‘learning path’. » Automatically integrates charts, videos and images. Includes Canvas-based quizzes, flashcards, and study guides. Built on LearnLM, a model specifically trained for learning science.” The third option I mentioned above is to turn on the deep exploration tool. But I don’t recommend it for a subject you’re trying to learn because it’s much slower. Use in-depth research for things you’re already familiar with, but to dive deeper into a specific area. Sometimes I’ll follow up a study session with a deep study session, then save the deep study report.

A simple example: the health benefits of pickles

I was afraid that the neuroplasticity example I give below might scare people away because it still gets technical, even though I said I’m an amateur in the field. After all, neuroscience is quite a technical field. So let’s start with a simple example where I told him to stay non-technical. This is a query in Gemini with targeted learning included: « Let’s say I’m an elderly layman in this field, please make the answer less technical. Is it true that pickle has some health benefits for the elderly ». The answer is still very informative, including a quiz and suggestions for further study. Note that I kept this chat short, but I can come back to it later and continue learning. The results are in here.

Another example: The history of neuroplasticity

This inquiry started from a funny anecdote I had read about. In the late 1990s, the Dalai Lama asked visiting scholars an interesting question along these lines: Western science assumes that consciousness and our minds originate in our brains, which can be seen as the mind being the software running on the brain, the hardware. Can something the mind does change the brain? He specifically wondered if meditation could change the brain. The existing paradigm in neuroscience was that our brains are malleable only in childhood, very little neuroplasticity exists in adulthood. All the neurologists said the answer was no. But now we know they were wrong, spectacularly wrong, and neuroplasticity and how consciousness can influence it is now a hot topic in neuroscience. And some of the best evidence comes from brain imaging of advanced meditators, including Tibetan colleagues of the Dalai Lama.

So I asked « I don’t have a professional background in neuroscience, but I’m pretty well read in it as a hobby. I’d like to know the history of the development in understanding neuroplasticity since the 1990s:. This led to a delightful exchange in which I learned quite a bit, which I shared here.

I will follow up with weekly posts in areas related to healthy aging, both physical and mental, that I have explored with Gemini. I will always make sure to give the AI ​​credit. I don’t like it when people create blog posts or YouTube videos with AI and don’t acknowledge it. I think that’s like cheating on your homework!

Posted by BionicOldGuy

I’m a mechanical engineer, born 1953, PhD, Stanford, 1980. I’ve been active in mechanical CAE for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I had both hips replaced and a heart valve replaced due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road. View all posts by BionicOldGuy

Published
January 29, 2026January 28, 2026