Introduction
In 2026, AI has become the most powerful study tool available to students and professionals. But most people are using it wrong — either as a shortcut to avoid thinking, or ignoring it entirely.
This guide covers 6 techniques for using AI to study more effectively, understand more deeply, and remember more.
Technique 1: Generate a Course on Any Topic in Minutes (PAITS)
The problem: You need to understand a new topic — calculus derivatives, TCP/IP networking, machine learning — and you do not know where to start.
How to do it:
- Go to paits.ai (free, no credit card)
- Type the topic you need to learn: "TCP/IP networking for software engineers"
- Select your difficulty level (beginner / intermediate / advanced)
- In under 5 minutes, receive: structured lecture notes with diagrams, a slide deck, and a narrated video
Why it works: Content at your specific difficulty level reduces cognitive load. Overexplaining wastes time; underexplaining causes confusion. PAITS calibrates to you.
Technique 2: The Socratic Method — Ask AI to Question You
The problem: You have read the material but are not sure if you actually understood it.
The prompt:
"I just studied [topic]. Please ask me 5 questions that test my understanding — not just memorization. Ask follow-up questions when my answers are incomplete. Point out misconceptions directly."
Why it works: Active recall — retrieving information from memory — is one of the most evidence-backed learning techniques in cognitive psychology. Being questioned forces retrieval; passive re-reading does not.
Technique 3: Feynman Technique with AI Feedback
The problem: You think you understand something, but cannot explain it simply.
How to do it:
- Write 2–3 paragraphs explaining the concept as if to a 12-year-old
- Paste it into ChatGPT with this prompt:
"Here is my explanation of [concept]: [your text]. Please identify: (1) any misconceptions, (2) gaps where my explanation would confuse someone, (3) key ideas I missed."
Technique 4: Generate Practice Problems on Any Topic
The prompt:
"Generate 10 practice problems on [topic] for a student at [level] level. Start easy and increase in difficulty. After I answer each one, tell me if I am correct and explain why."
Why it works: Spaced repetition and varied practice are two of the strongest learning techniques in cognitive science. AI can generate unlimited novel problems.
Technique 5: Build a Study Map from AI-Generated Outlines
How to do it:
- Ask PAITS: "Generate an advanced course on [subject]" — the resulting outline shows the full topic landscape
- Use the outline to identify what you know, what you need to review, and what you have not yet covered
Why it works: Expert learners have well-organized mental maps of their subject domain. Creating a study map first gives you the structure to place each new concept into context.
Technique 6: Use AI to Summarize and Synthesize After Reading
The prompt:
"Here is [document/chapter]. Please: (1) identify the 5 most important ideas, (2) explain how they connect to each other, (3) identify what is novel or surprising, (4) list 3 questions a critical reader should ask."
What NOT to Do
- Do not use AI to generate answers you submit as your own
- Do not use AI to skip active recall
- Do not trust AI uncritically — verify important facts
- Do not substitute AI for practice (doing is learning)
Summary
| Technique | Best AI Tool | Cognitive Principle |
|---|---|---|
| Generate a course | PAITS | Organized prior knowledge |
| Socratic questioning | ChatGPT / Claude | Active recall |
| Feynman feedback | ChatGPT | Retrieval + self-explanation |
| Practice problems | ChatGPT | Spaced practice |
| Study map | PAITS + ChatGPT | Schema building |
| Synthesis | Claude / ChatGPT | Elaborative encoding |
AI is not a replacement for cognitive effort — it is a multiplier.
Try PAITS free → paits.ai