In a world awash with information, the act of learning is undergoing a profound transformation, moving from a passive process of absorption to an active state of engagement. At the centre of this shift is artificial intelligence, a tech that Ben Gomes, Google’s Chief Technologist for Learning and Sustainability, believes can turn the vastness of the digital world into a personalised journey of discovery for billions.
His view mirrors learning theories that put forth that true learning rests on three pillars: the cognitive content, the emotional incentive, and the social interaction.
AI, as envisioned by Mr. Gomes, reinforces them, creating a more dynamic and accessible architecture for knowledge.
For decades, the cognitive dimension of learning has been the what, which was largely standardised, delivered through textbooks and lectures. Mr. Gomes explained that AI tools are now built to be “pedagogically oriented,” allowing for a deeply personal approach to content.
With tools like NotebookLM, students can upload their own specific syllabus or research materials, turning the AI into a bespoke tutor.
”You can upload your syllabus, what you’re trying to learn, and get information about it,” Mr. Gomes said, noting that this empowers learners to frame their own educational context rather than simply receive a generic one.
The emotional incentive gets a boost
Perhaps the most significant change is in the realm of emotional incentive that drives a person to learn. Mr. Gomes said that AI’s greatest potential lies in its ability to nurture this drive by making education an extension of a user’s natural curiosity.
“It follows your train of curiosity and interest,” he said of Google’s new tools. “It pulls you forward towards your curiosity.” This transforms learning from a compulsory task into a “joy,” a process of active inquiry where the goal is not just to find an answer but to understand the path to it.
On the question of whether AI tools are making students create AI slop, Mr. Gomes argued that Google’s learning tools are designed to make students find the answer.
Guided Learning, a new feature within Gemini, illustrates this by refusing to simply provide a solution. Mr. Gomes explained that “it will try and prompt you to come to the answer on your own. It’ll try and have you work through the details.”
This is a fundamental shift, aimed at cultivating the critical thinking that underpins lifelong learning and ensuring knowledge is not just memorised for an exam, but deeply absorbed.
An assistant, not a replacement
However, this technological evolution doesn’t negate the importance of the third and final pillar — the social and interactive nature of learning.
Mr. Gomes emphasized that AI is a powerful assistant, but not a replacement for human connection.
“I personally believe that the teacher and the human in the learning process is really fundamental,” he stated. “Almost everybody who has succeeded academically will say there was a teacher, there was a parent, there was a peer who inspired me.”
In this new model, the teacher’s role is elevated from a dispenser of information to a facilitator of curiosity and a mentor who can contextualise the journey. With AI handling the mechanical aspects of personalised pacing and content delivery, it can save educators a “tremendous amount of time.”
This frees them, Mr. Gomes suggested, to spend more time on the uniquely human tasks of inspiring and guiding students.
The challenge of digital divide
This vision is not without its challenges, particularly the risk of a growing digital divide as access to AI tools are dependent on the hardware resources students possess.
Mr. Gomes countered that technology has historically been an “equalising factor,” democratising access to information that was once siloed in elite institutions.
He points to the rapid adoption of smartphones in countries like India, where “800 million Indians today have access, online access, and that’s growing really fast.”
To further bridge this gap, Google is focusing on accessibility through multi-language suppor through Gemini, which is available in nine Indian languages. It also provides live translation and captioning, reducing barriers for students from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
The goal, Mr. Gomes explained, is to dismantle the obstacles that stand between a question and the understanding that follows.
Ultimately, the integration of AI into education is not about creating a new system of learning, but about unlocking the full potential of the one that has always existed. It is about providing tools that cater to the individual’s content needs, ignite their emotional drive to discover, and enhance, rather than replace, their vital social interactions with mentors and peers.
As Gomes puts it, the objective is to encourage an “active process, so that they actually start on that journey of curiosity that will take them through to success, not just in the exam, but beyond the exam.”
Published – September 30, 2025 02:56 pm IST