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8 practical insights on how top students use AI to learn

3 min read
In this era of AI explosion, many people think that “students” are those who use AI to copy homework and write reports faster. But in fact, the real top academics do not regard AI as an "answer generator" at all, but as an all-weather "top personal trainer." Here are 8 practical insights into how top academics secretly drain AI. After reading it, you will find that it is not the tools that widen the gap, but the thinking of using the tools! 1. Turn on your brain first and then ask for help. Principle: Adhere to "think first, ask for help later" and never reach out directly for answers. When ordinary people encounter a math problem they don't know or a program code they can't write, their first reaction is to directly copy and paste it to the AI, and then copy the answer in seconds. But top students know that this is called "brain outsourcing", and over time, the brain will get rusty. Example: Just like going to the gym, you wouldn’t ask a trainer to help you lift dumbbells. When a top student encounters a problem, he will scratch his head and think for 10 minutes and try to list the steps to solve the problem. Only when you really can't figure it out will you ask the AI: "I thought of this step, but got stuck later. Please give me the next 'idea', and don't give me the final answer yet." 2. Treat AI as a deputy who "looks serious and nonsense" Principle: Stay vigilant, know how to cross-validate, and don't blindly believe in a single model. AI is great, but sometimes it sounds very confident when it spits out wrong information. This is the so-called "AI illusion." Academic masters never regard AI as an absolute authority, but as an assistant that is "smart but occasionally fishes." Example: When the AI ​​gives a historical allusion or scientific formula that sounds powerful, the top student will first click a question mark in his mind. If they are not sure, they will immediately throw the same problem to another AI model (such as switching from ChatGPT to Claude or Gemini) and play a "Judgment of Zhuge Liang". If the answers of the two big models don't match, the top student will get excited - because it means it's time for the fun verification! 3. Reverse the operation! Let AI be the examiner and torture you crazily. Principle: Change from "actively looking for answers" to "precisely looking for answers"