AI Research
How to turn AI into your own research assistant with this free Google tool
When I need to research a topic these days, I often turn to AI, at least as a starting point. But depending on my questions and which chatbot I use, the response may not always be satisfying — it can be too brief or canned. In that case, I find myself wanting more. That’s when I turn to Google’s Learn About experiment.
Also: 8 ways to write better ChatGPT prompts – and get the results you want faster
As the name implies, Learn About is more than just a way to get a quick answer to a question. Instead, it’s a teaching tool that invites you to dive more deeply into your chosen topic. With Learn About, you can submit a text prompt, a PDF, or an image file to kick off your query. In response, Google’s AI provides details on the topic at hand.
What’s more, the answer is broken down into visually interesting and informative sections that encourage you to explore the topic. The AI might display an interactive list, explain how or why something works, and show related content. You might also find suggestions and questions to help you dive in even further. Here’s how I use Google’s Learn About.
1. Browse to the Learn About page
To get started, head to the Learn About web page and sign in with your Google account if prompted. The page suggests several topics you might want to explore off the bat, such as why we yawn, how to improve your memory and learning abilities, and how music affects the brain. The one about yawning intrigues me, so I select that.
2. Explore the sample topic
In response, Google delivers the basic information in a format that invites learning. An interactive list breaks down the topic into different areas, any of which you can explore. A list of misconceptions clears up some common fallacies about the topic. In this case, Google refutes the notion that you yawn only when you’re tired or bored.
The AI even poses some questions for me to chew on and lets me reveal the answer when I’m ready. At this point, I can ask Google to simplify or go deeper in its response, and request images related to the topic. Further down, Google suggests questions I can ask to continue to investigate the topic. Along the way, Google provides sources to help confirm if the information presented is accurate.
3. Suggest your own topic
To explore a topic of your own choice, click the sidebar and select New Chat. Google saves all conversations to your history, so you can return to any of them. I ask it to tell me about the theory that we’re all living in a computer simulation and not in an actual physical world or universe.
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In response, I receive an interactive list with subtopics such as how such a simulation would be designed by advanced creators and how it might be indistinguishable from reality. The AI asks me what ethical considerations or risks might prevent a civilization from running a simulated reality. I’m able to think about that before revealing the AI’s answer.
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A YouTube video presents an interview with the famous theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. Next, I can ask the AI to simplify or deepen its response and show me related photos. At the end is a series of suggested questions I can ask to explore the topic and different angles in more depth.
4. Share a document
Instead of writing your question at the prompt, you can upload a PDF. You might do this if you have a document that covers a topic you want to explore. At the prompt for a new chat, click the upload button and select the PDF you want to use. Here, I upload a PDF of a report on how to use Instagram for business.
Google starts with a summary of the file. The interactive list shows me the key areas in the document, any of which I could explore on its own. I can tell the AI to simplify or go deeper and pose any of the suggested questions. The PDF itself appears in the left pane, so I can easily refer to the original document.
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I ask Google to go deeper, which regenerates the response. But this time, the analysis is more in-depth, explaining how to engage with the audience, how to use hashtags effectively, and how to keep your Instagram business account consistent.
5. Share an image
You can also explore a topic revealed in a photo or other image. At the prompt for a new chat, click the upload button and select the image you want to use. On my end, I upload a photo of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan, the only structure in the city left standing after the atomic bomb was dropped.
To start, I could draw on the image to highlight a specific area and then ask a question about it. Otherwise, I could simply send the image to the AI for analysis. Google quickly identifies the building and shows me the interactive list to investigate the structure’s survival, its status as a symbol of peace, and its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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I’m asked to think about how a structure like the Atomic Bomb Dome contributes to historical memory and the promotion of peace. The AI answers that the Dome is a visual reminder of the consequences of war and the importance of peace, fostering reflection, and dialogue.
One area that intrigued me was how the building survived the blast. That is one of the suggested questions, so I select it. Google cites a couple of reasons for its survival, including its reinforced concrete structure and the overall design of the building.
Finally, Google asks me to describe what the building symbolizes and why its preservation is important. I could type or speak my answer and get feedback from the AI. After submitting my response, Google tells me that my analysis is sound but that I could provide more specific details, including the lessons the building can teach us.
I like the way Learn About shies away from easy answers and instead engages you in a deeper conversation about a topic to help you explore all the avenues. As a virtual teacher, the tool offers an interesting and interactive departure from the usual AI responses. For those reasons, it’s certainly worth trying. Just remember that AI can make mistakes, so you’ll want to at least check out the sources for each answer to make sure they’re accurate.
Technology Reporter
AstrolightI’m led through a series of concrete corridors at Vilnius University, Lithuania; the murals give a Soviet-era vibe, and it seems an unlikely location for a high-tech lab working on a laser communication system.
But that’s where you’ll find the headquarters of Astrolight, a six-year-old Lithuanian space-tech start-up that has just raised €2.8m ($2.3m; £2.4m) to build what it calls an “optical data highway”.
You could think of the tech as invisible internet cables, designed to link up satellites with Earth.
With 70,000 satellites expected to launch in the next five years, it’s a market with a lot of potential.
The company hopes to be part of a shift from traditional radio frequency-based communication, to faster, more secure and higher-bandwidth laser technology.
Astrolight’s space laser technology could have defence applications as well, which is timely given Russia’s current aggressive attitude towards its neighbours.
Astrolight is already part of Nato’s Diana project (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), an incubator, set up in 2023 to apply civilian technology to defence challenges.
In Astrolight’s case, Nato is keen to leverage its fast, hack-proof laser communications to transmit crucial intelligence in defence operations – something the Lithuanian Navy is already doing.
It approached Astrolight three years ago looking for a laser that would allow ships to communicate during radio silence.
“So we said, ‘all right – we know how to do it for space. It looks like we can do it also for terrestrial applications’,” recalls Astrolight co-founder and CEO Laurynas Maciulis, who’s based in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius.
For the military his company’s tech is attractive, as the laser system is difficult to intercept or jam.
It’s also about “low detectability”, Mr Maciulis adds:
“If you turn on your radio transmitter in Ukraine, you’re immediately becoming a target, because it’s easy to track. So with this technology, because the information travels in a very narrow laser beam, it’s very difficult to detect.”
AstrolightWorth about £2.5bn, Lithuania’s defence budget is small when you compare it to larger countries like the UK, which spends around £54bn a year.
But if you look at defence spending as a percentage of GDP, then Lithuania is spending more than many bigger countries.
Around 3% of its GDP is spent on defence, and that’s set to rise to 5.5%. By comparison, UK defence spending is worth 2.5% of GDP.
Recognised for its strength in niche technologies like Astrolight’s lasers, 30% of Lithuania’s space projects have received EU funding, compared with the EU national average of 17%.
“Space technology is rapidly becoming an increasingly integrated element of Lithuania’s broader defence and resilience strategy,” says Invest Lithuania’s Šarūnas Genys, who is the body’s head of manufacturing sector, and defence sector expert.
Space tech can often have civilian and military uses.
Mr Genys gives the example of Lithuanian life sciences firm Delta Biosciences, which is preparing a mission to the International Space Station to test radiation-resistant medical compounds.
“While developed for spaceflight, these innovations could also support special operations forces operating in high-radiation environments,” he says.
He adds that Vilnius-based Kongsberg NanoAvionics has secured a major contract to manufacture hundreds of satellites.
“While primarily commercial, such infrastructure has inherent dual-use potential supporting encrypted communications and real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance across NATO’s eastern flank,” says Mr Genys.
BlackSwan SpaceGoing hand in hand with Astrolight’s laser technology is the autonomous satellite navigation system fellow Lithuanian space-tech start-up Blackswan Space has developed.
Blackswan Space’s “vision based navigation system” allows satellites to be programmed and repositioned independently of a human based at a ground control centre who, its founders say, won’t be able to keep up with the sheer volume of satellites launching in the coming years.
In a defence environment, the same technology can be used to remotely destroy an enemy satellite, as well as to train soldiers by creating battle simulations.
But the sales pitch to the Lithuanian military hasn’t necessarily been straightforward, acknowledges Tomas Malinauskas, Blackswan Space’s chief commercial officer.
He’s also concerned that government funding for the sector isn’t matching the level of innovation coming out of it.
He points out that instead of spending $300m on a US-made drone, the government could invest in a constellation of small satellites.
“Build your own capability for communication and intelligence gathering of enemy countries, rather than a drone that is going to be shot down in the first two hours of a conflict,” argues Mr Malinauskas, also based in Vilnius.
“It would be a big boost for our small space community, but as well, it would be a long-term, sustainable value-add for the future of the Lithuanian military.”
Space Hub LTEglė Elena Šataitė is the head of Space Hub LT, a Vilnius-based agency supporting space companies as part of Lithuania’s government-funded Innovation Agency.
“Our government is, of course, aware of the reality of where we live, and that we have to invest more in security and defence – and we have to admit that space technologies are the ones that are enabling defence technologies,” says Ms Šataitė.
The country’s Minister for Economy and Innovation, Lukas Savickas, says he understands Mr Malinauskas’ concern and is looking at government spending on developing space tech.
“Space technology is one of the highest added-value creating sectors, as it is known for its horizontality; many space-based solutions go in line with biotech, AI, new materials, optics, ICT and other fields of innovation,” says Mr Savickas.
Whatever happens with government funding, the Lithuanian appetite for innovation remains strong.
“We always have to prove to others that we belong on the global stage,” says Dominykas Milasius, co-founder of Delta Biosciences.
“And everything we do is also geopolitical… we have to build up critical value offerings, sciences and other critical technologies, to make our allies understand that it’s probably good to protect Lithuania.”
Artificial intelligence is the skill set that employers increasingly want from future hires. Find out how b-schools are equipping students to use AI
Business students are already seeing AI’s value. More than three-quarters of business schools have already integrated AI into their curricula—from essay writing to personal tutoring, career guidance to soft-skill development.
BusinessBecause hears from current business students about how AI is reshaping the business school learning experience.
The benefits and drawbacks of using AI for essay writing
Many business school students are gaining firsthand experience of using AI to assist their academic work. At Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in the Netherlands, students are required to use AI tools when submitting essays, alongside a log of their interactions.
“I was quite surprised when we were explicitly instructed to use AI for an assignment,” said Lara Harfner, who is studying International Business Administration (IBA) at RSM. “I liked the idea. But at the same time, I wondered what we would be graded on, since it was technically the AI generating the essay.”
Lara decided to approach this task as if she were writing the essay herself. She began by prompting the AI to brainstorm around the topic, research areas using academic studies and build an outline, before asking it to write a full draft.
However, during this process Lara encountered several problems. The AI-generated sources were either non-existent or inappropriate, and the tool had to be explicitly instructed on which concepts to focus on. It tended to be too broad, touching on many ideas without thoroughly analyzing any of them.
“In the end, I felt noticeably less connected to the content,” Lara says. “It didn’t feel like I was the actual author, which made me feel less responsible for the essay, even though it was still my name on the assignment.”
Despite the result sounding more polished, Lara thought she could have produced a better essay on her own with minimal AI support. What’s more, the grades she received on the AI-related assignments were below her usual average. “To me, that shows that AI is a great support tool, but it can’t produce high-quality academic work on its own.”
AI-concerned employers who took part in the Corporate Recruiters Survey echo this finding, stating that they would rather GME graduates use AI as a strategic partner in learning and strategy, than as a source for more and faster content.
How business students use AI as a personal tutor
Daniel Carvalho, a Global Online MBA student, also frequently uses AI in his academic assignments, something encouraged by his professors at Porto Business School (PBS).
However, Daniel treats AI as a personal tutor, asking it to explain complex topics in simple terms and deepen the explanation. On top of this, he uses it for brainstorming ideas, summarizing case studies, drafting presentations and exploring different points of view.
“My MBA experience has shown me how AI, when used thoughtfully, can significantly boost productivity and effectiveness,” he says.
Perhaps one of the most interesting ways Daniel uses AI is by turning course material into a personal podcast. “I convert text-based materials into audio using text-to-speech tools, and create podcast-style recaps to review content in a more conversational and engaging way. This allows me to listen to the materials on the go—in the car or at the gym.”
While studying his financial management course, Daniel even built a custom GPT using course materials. Much like a personal tutor, it would ask him questions about the material, validate his understanding, and explain any questions he got wrong. “This helped reinforce my knowledge so effectively that I was able to correctly answer all multiple-choice questions in the final exam,” he explains.
Similarly, at Villanova School of Business in the US, Master of Science in Business Analytics and AI (MSBAi) students are building personalized AI bots with distinct personalities. Students embed reference materials into the bot which then shape how the bot responds to questions.
“The focus of the program is to apply these analytics and AI skills to improve business results and career outcomes,” says Nathan Coates, MSBAi faculty director at the school. “Employers are increasingly looking for knowledge and skills for leveraging GenAI within business processes. Students in our program learn how AI systems work, what their limitations are, and what they can do better than existing solutions.”
The common limitations of using AI for academic work
Kristiina Esop, who is studying a doctorate in Business Administration and Management at Estonian Business School, agrees that AI in education must always be used critically and with intention. She warns students should always be aware of AI’s limitations.
Kristiina currently uses AI tools to explore different scenarios, synthesize large volumes of information, and detect emerging debates—all of which are essential for her work both academically and professionally.
However, she cautions that AI tools are not 100% accurate. Kristiina once asked ChatGPT to map actors in circular economy governance, and it returned a neat, simplified diagram that ignored important aspects. “That felt like a red flag,” she says. “It reminded me that complexity can’t always be flattened into clean logic. If something feels too easy, too certain—that’s when it is probably time to ask better questions.”
To avoid this problem, Kristiina combines the tools with critical thinking and contextual reading, and connects the findings back to the core questions in her research. “I assess the relevance and depth of the sources carefully,” she says. “AI can widen the lens, but I still need to focus it myself.”
She believes such critical thinking when using AI is essential. “Knowing when to question AI-generated outputs, when to dig deeper, and when to disregard a suggestion entirely is what builds intellectual maturity and decision-making capacity,” she says.
This is also what Wharton management professor Ethan Mollick, author of Co Intelligence: Living and Working with AI and co-director of the Generative AI Lab believes. He says the best way to work with [generative AI] is to treat it like a person. “So you’re in this interesting trap,” he says. “Treat it like a person and you’re 90% of the way there. At the same time, you have to remember you are dealing with a software process.”
Hult International Business School, too, expects its students to use AI in a balanced way, encouraging them to think critically about when and how to use it. For example, Rafael Martínez Quiles, a Master’s in Business Analytics student at Hult, uses AI as a second set of eyes to review his thinking.
“I develop my logic from scratch, then use AI to catch potential issues or suggest improvements,” he explains. “This controlled, feedback-oriented approach strengthens both the final product and my own learning.”
At Hult, students engage with AI to solve complex, real-world challenges as part of the curriculum. “Practical business projects at Hult showed me that AI is only powerful when used with real understanding,” says Rafael. “It doesn’t replace creativity or business acumen, it supports it.”
As vice president of Hult’s AI Society, N-AIble, Rafael has seen this mindset in action. The society’s members explore AI ethically, using it to augment their work, not automate it. “These experiences have made me even more confident and excited about applying AI in the real world,” he says.
The AI learning tools students are using to improve understanding
In other business schools, AI is being used to offer faculty a second pair of hands. Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business has recently introduced an ‘AI Jockey’. Appearing live on a second screen next to the lecturer’s slides, this AI tool acts as a second teacher, providing real-time clarifications, offering alternate examples, challenging assumptions, and deepening explanations.
“Students gain access to instant, tailored explanations that complement the lecture, enhancing understanding and engagement,” says Dr Tom Vinaimont, assistant professor of finance, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business, who uses the AI jockey in his teaching.
Rather than replacing the instructor, the AI enhances the learning experience by adding an interactive, AI-driven layer to traditional teaching, transforming learning into a more dynamic, responsive experience.
“The AI Jockey model encourages students to think critically about information, question the validity of AI outputs, and build essential AI literacy. It helps students not only keep pace with technological change but also prepares them to lead in an AI-integrated world by co-creating knowledge in real time,” says Dr Vinaimont.
How AI can be used to encourage critical thinking among students
So, if you’re looking to impress potential employers, learning to work with AI while a student is a good place to start. But simply using AI tools isn’t enough. You must think critically, solve problems creatively and be aware of AI’s limitations.
Most of all, you must be adaptable. GMAC’s new AI-powered tool, Advancery, helps you find graduate business programs tailored to your career goals, with AI-readiness in mind.
After all, working with AI is a skill in itself. And in 2025, it is a valuable one.
A federal judge ordered two attorneys representing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to pay $3,000 each after they used artificial intelligence to prepare a court filing that was riddled with errors, including citations to nonexistent cases and misquotations of case law.
Christopher Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster violated court rules when they filed the motion that had contained nearly 30 defective citations, Judge Nina Y. Wang of the U.S. District Court in Denver ruled Monday.
“Notwithstanding any suggestion to the contrary, this Court derives no joy from sanctioning attorneys who appear before it,” Wang wrote in her ruling, adding that the sanction against Kachourouff and Demaster was “the least severe sanction adequate to deter and punish defense counsel in this instance.”
The motion was filed in Lindell’s defamation case, which ended last month when a Denver jury found Lindell liable for defamation for pushing false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
The filing misquoted court precedents and highlighted legal principles that were not involved in the cases it cited, according to the ruling.
During a pretrial hearing after the errors were discovered, Kachouroff admitted to using generative artificial intelligence to write the motion.
Kachouroff initially told the judge that the motion was a draft and was filed by accident. But the “final” version that he said was the correct one was still riddled with “substantive errors,” including some that were not included in the filed version, Wang wrote.
It was the attorneys’ “contradictory statements and the lack of corroborating evidence” that led the judge to believe that the filing of the AI-generated motion was not “an inadvertent error” and deserved a sanction.
The judge also found Kachouroff’s accusation of the court trying to “blindside” him over the errors were “troubling and not well-taken.”
“Neither Mr. Kachouroff nor Ms. DeMaster provided the Court any explanation as to how those citations appeared in any draft of the Opposition absent the use of generative artificial intelligence or gross carelessness by counsel,” Wang wrote.
Kachouroff and DeMaster did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
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