How Google’s LearnLM generative AI models support teachers and learners

Generative AI is fundamentally changing how we’re approaching learning and education, enabling powerful new ways to support educators and learners. It’s taking curiosity and understanding to the next level — and we’re just at the beginning of how it can help us reimagine learning.

Building a new family of models for learning

Today we’re introducing LearnLM: our new family of models fine-tuned for learning, based on Gemini.

Grounded in educational research and tailored to how people learn, LearnLM represents an effort across Google DeepMind, Google Research and our product teams to help make learning experiences more engaging, personal and useful. Our technical report presents our approach to improving generative AI for education and highlights how we’re working together with the AI and EdTech communities to responsibly maximize its positive impact and potential.

Working alongside educators and other learning experts, we’re infusing learning science principles, like the following, into our models and the products they power:

• Inspire active learning: Allow for practice and healthy struggle with timely feedback
• Manage cognitive load: Present relevant, well-structured information in multiple modalities
• Adapt to the learner: Dynamically adjust to goals and needs, grounding in relevant materials
• Stimulate curiosity: Inspire engagement to provide motivation through the learning journey
• Deepen metacognition: Plan, monitor and help the learner reflect on progress

Bringing LearnLM to products you already love

With LearnLM we’re enhancing learning experiences in products you already use today — like Search, YouTube and when chatting with Gemini — so they can help you deepen understanding, rather than just giving an answer. Here are a few examples:

• In Google Search, soon you’ll be able to make sense of complex topics by tapping a button to adjust your AI Overview into the format that’s most useful for you — whether you want to simplify the language, or break it down.
• On Android, Circle to Search can help people get unstuck on math and physics word problems directly from their phones and tablets. Later this year, you’ll be able to solve even more complex problems involving symbolic formulas, diagrams, graphs and more.
• When chatting with Gemini, soon you’ll be able to use Gems, custom versions of Gemini that can act as personal experts on any topic. Learning coach, one of the pre-made Gems, can support you in building knowledge by providing step-by-step study guidance, along with helpful practice activities like quizzes and games. Learning coach in Gemini will launch in the coming months, and with Gemini Advanced, you’ll be able to further customize this Gem to suit your unique learning preferences.
• On YouTube, a conversational AI tool makes it possible to figuratively “raise your hand” while watching academic videos to ask clarifying questions, get helpful explanations or take a quiz on what you’ve been learning. This even works with longer educational videos like lectures or seminars thanks to the Gemini model’s long-context capabilities. These features are already rolling out to select Android users in the U.S.