Learning AI

Each week, we will select two of the AI engines and pose a question or a problem, summarize the findings in our own words, and include the interactions with the AI for your review.

We posed the following question to ChatGPT and Google Gemini:

What career advice would you give an eighth grader?

Google Gemini nailed the question with the following answer:

Gemini continued:

• If you want to solve climate change: You could be an engineer, a lawyer, a scientist, or a filmmaker.

• If you want to solve loneliness: You could be a therapist, a software designer for social apps, or an architect who builds community spaces.

Focusing on a problem keeps you flexible. If one specific job disappears or changes because of AI, the problem still exists, and you can solve it in a different way.

ChatGPT’s response felt more generic since it said things like “try many things,” and “learn how to learn.” I am going beyond “generic” and saying that ChatGPT’s responses were boring and lacked originality.

ChatGPT told us to “build skills.” Did they just copy that from my newsletter of two weeks ago? C’mon man.

In other words, Gemini destroyed ChatGPT for this week’s question.

You should read the Gemini discussion transcript below. Don’t worry, it’s brief.

Gemini was bold and told us to try something that scares you for a year, and to read biographies of historical figures that failed before achieving success. Failure as a learning tool was a theme with Gemini. It told us to learn to fail fast.

Gemini recommended building a digital portfolio that you can update each time you complete a volunteer activity or write code for a game.

Remember the most obscure club at your high school? Good chance it was the Debate Team. Those guys will succeed in the future state of the world.

The AIs told us that it will not be the technologists who own the future, but the people who can articulate issues and create consensus will be the winners.

Things I think about

One million Earths could fit inside the Sun.

Response from Google Gemini

What career advice would you give an eighth grader?

Career advice for an eighth grader is less about picking a final destination and more about building a toolkit for a world that is changing rapidly. At 13 or 14, you are in the perfect "exploratory phase" where you can try things without the pressure of a resume.

In 2026, the most successful career paths are no longer straight lines; they are "lattices" where you jump between different skills and industries. Here is a roadmap to help you navigate this transition.

1. Shift Your Question

Stop asking, "What do I want to be?" (which is one job) and start asking, "What problems do I want to solve?"

• If you want to solve climate change: You could be an engineer, a lawyer, a scientist, or a filmmaker.

• If you want to solve loneliness: You could be a therapist, a software designer for social apps, or an architect who builds community spaces.

Focusing on a problem keeps you flexible. If one specific job disappears or changes because of AI, the problem still exists, and you can solve it in a different way.

2. High School Electives: The "Safe Sandbox"

When you pick your classes for 9th grade, use your electives to test things you think you might hate or things you know nothing about.

• Try a Trade: Take a shop, culinary, or robotics class. Understanding how things are physically built is a superpower in a digital world.

• Try a Creative: Take drama or public speaking. Even if you want to be a coder, the ability to explain your ideas to a crowd will make you 10x more valuable.

• The "One-Year Rule": Commit to one elective that scares you for a full year. It’s the best way to build grit.

3. Build "Human-Only" Skills

By the time you graduate college (around 2034), AI and automation will be doing most "routine" tasks. Your value will come from things machines struggle with:

• Empathy: The ability to understand and care about how someone else feels.

• Negotiation: Figuring out how to get two people to agree.

• Critical Thinking: Knowing how to tell the difference between a "deepfake" or AI hallucination and the truth.

4. Create "Proof of Skill" (The Anti-Resume)

In the future, a list of grades won't be enough. People will want to see what you’ve actually done. Start a "Digital Portfolio" or even just a folder on your computer to save:

• Code you wrote or a game you designed.

• A physical project you built (like a birdhouse or a refurbished bike).

• A volunteer project you led (like a park cleanup).

5. Practical Next Steps for Right Now

• The "Shadow" Day: Ask your parents, an aunt/uncle, or a neighbor if you can spend four hours at their job just watching. You'll quickly learn if a "cool" sounding job is actually just sitting in meetings all day.

• Learn to Fail Fast: If you try a coding club and hate it after a month, that is a win. You just learned what you don't want to do, which is just as important as knowing what you do like.

• Read Biographies: Don't just watch TikToks of "Day in the Life" influencers (which are often filtered). Read about how people like Steve Jobs, Marie Curie, or local business owners actually struggled before they succeeded.

Would you like me to help you brainstorm some specific high school electives or clubs based on a subject you currently enjoy in middle school?

Response from ChatGPT

What career advice would you give an eighth grader?

Great question — and honestly, eighth grade is the perfect time to start thinking about this, not because you need to choose a career now, but because you can start building skills and options.

Here’s the advice I’d give an 8th grader:

1. Don’t Pick a Career Yet — Pick Skills

At 13–14 years old, the goal isn’t “What job will I have?”
The goal is “What skills will I build?”

Focus on skills that help in almost every career:

• Communication – writing clearly, speaking confidently

• Problem solving – math, logic, puzzles

• Technology literacy – understanding computers and AI basics

• Teamwork – sports, clubs, group projects

• Self-discipline – finishing what you start

Careers change. Skills transfer.

2. Try Many Things (Exploration Beats Early Specialization)

Most adults change careers multiple times. The students who do best later usually:

• Join clubs (robotics, drama, debate, art, coding)

• Try sports or music

• Volunteer

• Take electives that sound interesting

• Watch “day in the life” career videos

You’re not choosing a lane — you’re sampling the buffet.

3. Learn How to Learn

The most powerful advantage is not memorizing facts — it’s knowing how to teach yourself new things.

Good habits to build now:

• Reading regularly

• Asking questions instead of guessing

• Using tools like AI responsibly to understand concepts

• Breaking big problems into small steps

The future will reward people who can adapt quickly.

4. Get Comfortable with Technology (Especially AI)

You don’t need to be a programmer, but you should understand:

• Basic coding or logic

• How AI tools work

• Digital safety and privacy

• How to use tech to create, not just consume

Think of tech like reading and writing — it’s becoming a universal skill.

5. Notice What Energizes You

Pay attention to activities where:

• Time passes quickly

• You feel curious instead of bored

• You want to get better without being forced

That energy is a better signal than “What pays the most?”

6. Talk to Adults About Their Jobs

Ask questions like:

• “What do you actually do each day?”

• “What do you like and dislike?”

• “What skills matter most?”

• “What would you learn if you were my age again?”

You’ll learn more from conversations than from job titles.

7. Focus on Character as Much as Grades

Grades matter, but so do:

• Reliability

• Kindness

• Honesty

• Curiosity

• Work ethic

People hire and promote trustworthy, pleasant problem-solvers.

8. Remember: Nothing Is Permanent

The job you end up loving might not even exist yet. Many current careers didn’t exist 15 years ago (app developer, data scientist, social media manager, AI trainer).

So the best mindset is:

If you do those three things, you won’t just “pick a career” — you’ll be able to choose from many.

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