KastorFlowUpdated October 17, 2026
Learning a new field with AI: the numbers
Skills change fast. What the evidence says about keeping up.
Employers expect 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030, and 59 of every 100 workers to need training (World Economic Forum, 2025). Learning a field works best the way studying does: gather the best sources in one place, test yourself, review spaced over time, and keep the sources current. A source-grounded notebook such as Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) covers the first two; KastorFlow adds spaced review through Anki and keeps a topic's sources current on a schedule.
We make KastorFlow, a Chrome extension for Gemini Notebook. The studies on this page aren't ours; each number links to its source.
39%
of workers' core skills are expected to change by 2030 (1,000+ employers)
59 of 100
workers will need training by 2030; employers expect 11 of them won't get it
Nearly 20%
of the workweek goes to looking for information or tracking down colleagues
d = 0.85
spaced practice, the most effective learning technique measured across 242 studies
Over 2×
learning gains from a structured AI tutor against an active-learning class
What that means for learning a field with AI
| What the research shows | What to look for | Gemini Notebook | KastorFlow adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39% of core skills change by 2030 | A notebook per skill you are building | Notebooks from your own sources | Builds a notebook from a topic (free: 5 a month), or adds a whole course playlist at once |
| Nearly 20% of the week goes to finding information | Everything you have learned, searchable in one place | Chat works inside one notebook | One library with Ctrl+K search and tags across every notebook (free) |
| Spaced practice is the strongest method (d = 0.85) | Review that comes back over weeks | Flashcards and quizzes | Sends new flashcards to Anki (1 a month free; no limit on Pro) |
| Fields keep moving | Sources that stay current | No scheduled refresh | Refreshes sources and imports feeds on a schedule (Pro); Notebook autopilot builds, audits and fills gaps on a schedule (Pro+) |
| Learning happens on the move | Audio you can play anywhere | Audio Overviews | Publishes them to a podcast feed for any podcast app (Pro) |
How to learn a new field with AI
- Open one notebook per skill or topic.
- Fill it with the field's best sources: papers, reports, talks and courses. KastorFlow builds a notebook from a topic or adds a whole playlist.
- Learn with a tutor prompt that asks you questions (below), then make Flashcards and a Quiz.
- Review spaced over weeks. KastorFlow sends new flashcards to Anki (1 a month free; no limit on Pro).
- Keep the notebook current: KastorFlow refreshes its sources on a schedule (Pro).
A tutor prompt to copy
Be my tutor for these sources. Ask me one question at a time about the topic I name. Wait for my answer, then tell me what I got right, give a hint if I'm wrong, and cite the passage. Don't give the full answer until I've tried twice.
Paste it into Gemini Notebook's chat, or save it in KastorFlow's prompt picker to reuse it in any notebook (free, 10 prompts).
KastorFlow adds these steps to Gemini Notebook. Free to install, no account needed.
Add to ChromeSources
- World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025
- McKinsey Global Institute, The social economy
- Donoghue & Hattie, Frontiers in Education 2021
- Kestin et al., Scientific Reports 2025
Checked October 17, 2026. Download every number with its source (CSV) · CC BY 4.0
Use these numbers
Quote any number with a link to this page. Suggested credit: KastorFlow, “Learning a new field with AI: the numbers,” https://kastorflow.com/stats/learn-a-new-field-with-ai-statistics, updated October 17, 2026.
Questions
What is the best AI tool to learn a new field?
One that keeps you working from the field's best sources and makes you practice: a source-grounded notebook such as Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) answers from the sources you add, cites them and makes flashcards and quizzes. KastorFlow adds spaced review through Anki, search across every notebook, and scheduled refresh so the sources stay current.
How do I keep up with my field using AI?
Keep one notebook per topic and refresh its sources on a schedule. KastorFlow refreshes sources and imports feeds automatically (Pro), and its Notebook autopilot builds, audits and fills gaps on a schedule (Pro+).
How many workers need to reskill?
59 of every 100 by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025; employers expect 11 of them won't get the training they need.