This really caught me off guard.
Over the weekend, I was using Metaso AI to search for information on tariffs, as Trump kept changing his stance, even saying the tariffs would end.
Then, I unexpectedly discovered a very interesting feature launched by Metaso.
"Learn Something Today"...
To be honest, the moment I entered this page, I thought I had been redirected somewhere else. It wasn't until I saw the Metaso logo in the top left corner that I confirmed this was their new feature.
Its function is essentially to turn a document or a link into a course video, as if a Bilibili creator (UP) had specifically tailored it for your preferences.
It's very interesting, and one of the more fun features I've seen recently.
First, let's talk about how to access it.
The moment you enter the Metaso AI homepage, you should notice a blue bar in the top right corner.
Clicking this blue bar allows you to switch to the new feature.
I specifically recorded the screen.
Of course, you can also access it directly via the URL:
https://metaso.cn/study
The purpose of this new "Learn Something Today" feature is to turn any file or URL into a learning course.
It might sound a bit abstract, so I'll give you a direct example to show you how it works in practice.
For example, you probably all know that Jensen Huang came to China over the weekend, right? The guy was pretty harshly "stabbed in the back" by Trump. He had just had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, pledging an absolute investment of 500 billion (presumably USD, context suggests semiconductors/tech), expressing loyalty, only for Trump to turn around the next day and ban Nvidia's China-specific H20 chip...
With no other choice, Jensen Huang had to put away his signature leather jacket, put on a suit, comb his hair like an adult, and came to China.
And Morgan Stanley (大摩), immediately released a PDF analysis regarding the ban on the H20 for China.
This PDF, honestly, is full of data and quite dry to read.
Let's toss this PDF to Metaso AI's "Learn Something Today".
Once it's done processing, you will automatically enter a settings interface.
The style section really confused me. I generated seven or eight course videos before realizing that area was scrollable and there were actually other style options...
In the advanced settings, you can customize the language and voice.
I directly selected Beginner, Storytelling, and aloof 'older sister' voice.
Click confirm.
Teacher "Tazi" will start taking a deep breath and get ready to give you a lesson...
Teacher "Tazi" is quite something...
After waiting for ten to several tens of seconds, a course is ready. I've put a part of it here, you can listen and see.
The course doesn't just have PPT slides; it also includes SVG animations when explaining some technical principles, and a voice that matches the selected style and persona...
I unconsciously listened for 8 minutes, forcing myself to finish listening to what it was telling me.
This is truly a very magical and also very peculiar experience.
Because from a technical standpoint, there's not much particularly noteworthy.
It's mainly the engineering that's done exceptionally well, including interactive web pages, PPT generation, course content generation, TTS (Text-to-Speech) generation, and so on.
It doesn't help you learn, it acts as a teacher and explains things to you.
This difference is actually very important.
Furthermore, after explaining it to you, it will even test you.
For example, one course I completed before was "The Order of Time".
It genuinely gives you questions.
A total of 10 questions, that's the price for not paying attention in class...
Traditional AI search, Q&A products, etc., essentially help you find answers. You have to actively ask questions, actively read, and actively understand.
"Learn Something Today" is the opposite. Based on your background knowledge and interests, it actively teaches you, coaxing you to learn like a private tutor.
This logical shift, once popularized, will transform AI's role in education from an auxiliary tool to a primary lecturer, and can even create teaching personas with different personalities and styles based on your individuality.
For instance, I might be the type who enjoys being provoked or has masochistic tendencies, preferring a rough older brother type who scolds me while teaching.
This is something you can hardly get in traditional education.
This is also the personalization and entertainment of educational content.
After all, humans like listening to stories and being moved by them. I believe the significance of "Learn Something Today" for education lies in its exploration of a learning model that packages knowledge as emotion.
Furthermore, I believe traditional teaching is unstructured labor, almost impossible to replicate or scale. Now, they have directly turned it into parameterizable, reusable AI behavior modules.
Input: User knowledge level, goals, interests
Model generation: Explanation logic, language style, speaking pace
Output: Course PPT + Corresponding script + Interactive Q&A
Quite interesting.
I tested many attachment formats on "Learn Something Today", and it supports almost all file formats except mobi format.
Besides attachments, you can also directly input links.
For example, I threw in a 40,000-word long article I wrote two years ago:
A 40,000-Word Deep Dive: Why Are Tech Titans So Wary of AI? What is Ilya Really Afraid Of?
Choosing the Napoleon style, it directly generated a lesson.
Friends who are interested can also click to listen:
https://metaso.cn/s/LU3ZBOK
They even created a "plaza" where everyone can interact and learn together using the same link.
However, in my testing, the compatibility with link fetching is a bit less stable. For example, it doesn't work very well with Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website), and the generated content is very abstract.
Of course, besides the files and links you upload yourself.
When you use Metaso AI to search for content, you'll notice that Metaso often references some PDFs.
You can also click into these PDFs from the search results, find the "Explain" button in the top left corner, and directly turn it into a customized course for you.
Each user receives not generic, one-size-fits-all content, but personalized AI teaching tailored to their individual needs.
All these courses created for you can be found in your bookshelf, so you can continue watching them in the future.
However, besides courses, I think this model might have some really "cool" (special, interesting) uses, which my friend Lisa shared with me.
That is, many people have actually seen those videos on Bilibili or Douyin (TikTok) that summarize a movie in 1 minute or a novel in 3 minutes.
And now, if you just want to quickly read through a novel.
You totally can, just use "Learn Something Today".
For example, I uploaded the magical "Xiao Ming's Journey to Immortality" and chose the Imperial Edict style.
Happy speed-reading here: https://metaso.cn/s/mKHoT59
You can even use it for more than just novels. Are you tired of reading "gossip" documents normally? Why not switch to a PPT + course model for "eating melon" (following gossip)?
Full of narrative feel, only then does "eating melon" feel immersive.
Of course, Metaso's "Learn Something Today" still has quite a few areas for improvement.
For example, there's significant room for improvement in user experience and product design. The interaction logic of various buttons is a bit strange, and the path planning is a bit unclear.
For example, overall it still leans towards general education. Once it involves explaining specific problems or exercises, it "chokes" (fails).
Also, there's still significant room for improvement in the aesthetics and design of the PPTs.
However, overall, the merits outweigh the flaws.
Before, AI was a tool; whatever you told it to do, it would do.
Now, it's a teacher, an anchor, a friend, Li Bai (a famous Chinese poet), a eunuch presenting an imperial edict, a rough older brother, an aloof older sister.
When AI education starts to become personified, starts to become entertaining, and starts to become an immersive role-playing game (script kill).
You are both the audience and the protagonist.
Fast forward a few years, I can already imagine this scene in the future:
"Hey buddy, I'm studying for the postgraduate entrance exam. Don't recommend those materials to me anymore, recommend that 'persona' to me."
"What do you mean by 'persona'?"
"Just that AI learning persona of yours, the one that's a bit rough. I only remember things when it scolds me..."
We will shift from looking for study materials to looking for personas.
It may not be perfect, but it gave me a particularly real premonition.
Starting today.
The act of learning, it seems, can now be, no longer lonely.
That's all. Since you've read this far, if you think it's good, feel free to like, watch, and share! If you want to receive push notifications immediately, you can also give me a star⭐~ Thank you for reading my article, and see you next time.
>/ Author: Kazik
>/ For submissions or tips, please contact email: wzglyay@virxact.com