Boost Your Learning by Taking AI for a Walk (Literally)
How movement + curious conversation creates deeper understanding than sitting at your desk
We've been taught since we were in grade school that learning takes place at a desk.
Even into adulthood, I never questioned this assumption. Well past my schooling years, I strived to protect the tranquility of my home office as a place to sit, notebook open and highlighter ready, to delve into new topics.
Then a couple months ago, while walking around my neighborhood with AirPods in. I stumbled on a new way to learn that, while not a replacement for studying a good book, was an entirely new (and largely undiscovered) tool in our learning toolboxes.
I learned how the power of movement and conversation can become an almost magical unlock for learning.
What I Discovered Walking in My Neighborhood
I've been geeking out on neuroscience lately. After listening to an interesting podcast segment that touched on how social media use activated parts of the autonomic nervous system, I wanted to dive a little deeper.
I opened ChatGPT, started a new conversation in voice mode, put the phone in my pocket, and asked it: "how does the autonomic nervous system work?"
I'm not a neuroscientist and will never pretend to be. I just wanted to learn more.
To be honest, the first answer it gave me used a lot of terms I wasn't yet familiar with.
So one by one, I asked follow up questions.
Getting deeper into understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Deeply interested in how the use of social media and always-on notifications keeps our brains in a constant low-level state of "fight or flight."
My curiosity was activated in ways I hadn't felt in months. I was deeply engaged.
The act of walking seemed to activate my brain in new ways.
My thinking was clearer. I asked better questions.
I asked ChatGPT to re-explain things in different ways. I asked it to explain things in more basic terms. I asked it to use analogies.
The point is, I kept the conversation going. So long, in fact, that my 30 minute walk became 45 minutes. Then an hour. And finally at almost 90 minutes in, I felt like I had what I needed to start sketching out some ideas.
The real insight though, was the powerful combination of:
Engaging AI as a thought partner
Discussing at the speed of thought (or voice) rather than typing
Activating my own brain through movement
The Science of Learning and Walking
It turns out that my experience is supported by research. Cognitive function improves with movement, especially the kind of mild, rhythmic exercise that walking offers.
Studies show that walking increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), often called "Miracle-Gro for the brain." This protein enhances neuroplasticity, the ability of your brain to create new neural connections.
Translation: as you walk, you're actually creating better learning pathways.
According to research by Marily Oppezzo of Stanford, walking boosts creative thinking by 60% on average. What caught my attention, though, was that the increase in creative thinking continued even after people sat back down.
Walking not only improves your thinking in the here and now, but it also prepares your brain for improved thinking afterwards.
Additionally, environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan discovered that certain environments can restore our ability to pay attention intently without requiring it. Settings such as the mild, varied stimulation of a neighborhood walk allow your brain to rest its directed attention systems while keeping it gently engaged.
When you combine this cognitive state with conversation (in this case with AI), something interesting emerges.
Through conversation and movement, you're actively co-creating understanding rather than merely passively absorbing information.
The AI Walking Tutorial: How It Works
Here's the simple framework I've developed after experimenting with this approach:
Setup (5 minutes):
Block 30-45 minutes on your calendar
Pick a topic you're genuinely curious about
Put ChatGPT (or your preferred AI) in voice mode
Grab earbuds and head outside
Launch (First 5 minutes):
Start with "Explain [your topic] to me"
Let AI give you the overview
Don't worry about taking notes—just listen and walk
Engage (20-30 minutes):
This is where the magic happens. Don't stop at the first answer. Ask follow-ups. Lots of them:
"Can you simplify that?"
"What's a good analogy for this concept?"
"What am I not asking that I should be?"
"How does this connect to [related concept]?"
"Give me an example of this in everyday life"
"What would happen if this system failed?"
Consolidate (Final 5 minutes):
End with active recall:
"Quiz me on what we just covered."
“Here are my key takeaways…”
This last step is crucial.
Active recall, which requires your brain to retrieve information rather than merely recognize it, is one of the most effective techniques according to cognitive science research.
Having AI test your understanding while you're still walking cements the learning in a way that passive listening cannot.
How This Differs from Desk Learning
The combination of movement and conversation creates a unique learning environment that's fundamentally different from traditional study methods:
Physical Movement Enhances Mental Movement: Walking creates a gentle rhythm that seems to unlock more fluid thinking. Your questions become more natural, more exploratory. Instead of the rigid Q&A format that often happens at a desk, you find yourself in genuine conversation.
Reduced Performance Pressure: There's no notebook to fill, no perfect notes to take. This reduces the performance anxiety that can interfere with learning. You're free to be curious without worrying about capturing everything perfectly.
Natural Conversational Flow: Voice-based AI interaction feels more like talking to a knowledgeable friend than querying a database. Learning feels more interesting and memorable because this social component engages different neural pathways than reading or typing. And the conversation happens fluidly, closer to the speed of thought, rather than being inhibited by the speed of our fingers or thumbs.
Environmental Enrichment: The varied but gentle stimulation of a neighborhood walk—changing scenery, natural sounds, fresh air—provides what neuroscientists call "environmental enrichment." This has been shown to enhance memory formation and cognitive flexibility.
Going Further: The NotebookLM Boost
Once I got comfortable with basic AI walking tutorials, I discovered another variation using Google's NotebookLM.
Here's how it works: you upload documents, research papers, PDFs, or YouTube videos that you want to learn from to NotebookLM, and it will create a personalized podcast discussion about them.
The conversation about your content between two AI hosts is surprisingly natural, highlighting important details and establishing connections you might not have noticed.
NotebookLM now even allows you to interrupt the podcast and ask questions, combining the power of active curiosity I discovered on my walk.
These days, I begin many my learning walks by spending the first fifteen minutes listening to a podcast produced by NotebookLM, and then spend the remaining time having direct conversations with ChatGPT or Perplexity.
This provides me with both foundational context as a primer and an opportunity to actively engage with the topic, resulting in a multi-layered learning experience that activates various cognitive processes.
The outcome? I'm taking part in a multifaceted investigation of concepts rather than merely consuming information.
Why This Is Important for More Than Just Learning Efficiency
Over the past few weeks, as I've experimented with AI walking tutorials, I've come to the realization that this technique represents something more than just a learning hack. It stands for an alternative perspective on AI that maintains and strengthens human agency rather than replacing it.
As I've written about previously, we all need to claim our own personal agency in the age of AI, using it to sharpen our critical thinking skills rather than let them passively atrophy.
When I walk and talk with AI, I'm not outsourcing my thought process; rather, I'm leveraging the technology to engage more deeply with ideas while enhancing my ability to be curious and learn.
The questions I ask while walking are often better than the questions I'd think to type at my desk.
The movement seems to unlock a more intuitive, exploratory method of inquiry.
I'm honing my critical thinking and questioning skills, which are precisely the human abilities that become more valuable a world where AI is ever present.
What I'm Learning About AI Collaboration
Through these walking conversations, I'm discovering that we can use AI to become more curious, not less. The key insight is treating AI as a thinking partner rather than an answer machine, an increasingly important shift as we navigate how to work with these tools.
When I'm walking and asking questions of AI, I'm engaging in a collaborative exploration, not merely looking for information.
I'm driving the investigation with my questions, my connections, and my sense of what's intriguing or crucial to investigate further, even though the AI offers knowledge and perspective.
Compared to the passive consumption that permeates most of our digital interactions, this feels markedly different.
I'm actively creating understanding through conversation and movement rather than merely scrolling through feeds or clicking through articles.
This is the power of intentionally using AI to enhance my human curiosity, rather than replace it.
The Broader Application
While I started with neuroscience, I've since used this approach to explore everything from marketing concepts to philosophy. It can be applied to any subject you genuinely curious about.
While one benefit of this approach is fitting more learning into my busy day, efficiency isn't the true power. It's in the level of involvement.
My desire to learn has been rekindled by Walking with AI in a way that feels joyful and sustainable rather than obligatory and taxing.
This practice offers something different in a world where we are continuously consuming information: the opportunity to actually process and integrate new concepts while navigating the physical world.
Your Turn to Try
I'm curious what you'll discover if you try this approach. What topic have you been wanting to understand better? What would happen if you took AI for a walk to explore it?
The beauty of this practice is its simplicity. You don't need special equipment or complicated systems.
Just curiosity, a smartphone, and the willingness to step outside your usual learning environment.
Try it this week: Put your AI assistant in voice mode, choose a topic you've been meaning to learn more about, and start a conversation.
You'll discover that moving your body is sometimes the best way to feed your mind.
Sometimes, the best learning happens not in front of a screen, but while walking down the street, asking questions that matter to you, to an AI that's willing to think alongside you.
This is what learning looks like when technology serves curiosity rather than replacing it. This is how we stay human while getting smarter.
What topic will you explore on your first AI walking tutorial? I'd love to hear about your discoveries! What questions led you to the most interesting insights?
Know someone who’s looking to integrate more learning into their day?
Yes! Plus - doing that _while walking_ will naturally introduce RHYTHM to the interaction that might otherwise be missing. That is way more important than is currently understood, I believe
And if nothing else, I could lose a few pounds while at it.