Howdy! This new phase of life of mine needs personal-life structure. To build that, I am architecting a joint venture of AI and education to lay a foundational understanding of things of interest (the whole point of this blog). This bridges the gap in my LLM AI exposure while constructing curriculums readily useful; curriculums such as quantum physics, drone fabrication, philosophy, law, LLMs, and today concrete.
Using the free versions of Google’s Gemini and the OG ChatGPT, I fed the exact prompts (sans name change) in order into new chats to generate two tutors for my surface-level education. While handy, I am fully aware of the potential of incorrect information, so comparing the two and carrying a grain of salt is well on my mind as I become educated and opinionated.
Rather than just relying on my opinion yourself, take something here from the first module and summary of following modules from the two LLMs as of October 10 2025:
Concrete Curriculum
Prompt Improvement – a trick for better LLM results is to have the LLM rewrite the problem statement for you.
Please improve this prompt to make it better for an LLM such as [LLM Name]:
You are an expert in concrete, construction, and urban military operations. Design the topics of a curriculum that would teach a person about concrete, its civil application, and how concrete has and could be used in urban scenarios. List each topic as a bullet point with a sentence summarizing the topic. Estimate how many days of study this may take if only using the free version of the [LLM Name] LLM. Iterate over the curriculum until there is a 95% confidence the curriculum is complete and correct – do not show any work or thought process, only showing the bullet points of the final iteration.
Copy what each LLM spat out, spit it back in to get the below (with a little abridging and organization splitting – order has been preserved):
| Gemini | ChatGPT (discretionary section breaks) |
|---|---|
| Module 1: Concrete Fundamentals 🧱 Learning Objectives: • Explain the chemical process of hydration and what gives concrete its strength. • Identify the key components of a concrete mix and their respective functions. • Differentiate between common types of concrete and their basic properties. Curriculum Topics: • A Brief History of Concrete: Explore the use of early cementitious materials by ancient civilizations like the Romans. • The Chemistry of Concrete: Understand hydration, the exothermic chemical reaction between cement and water that causes concrete to harden. • Core Components: Learn the roles of cement (binder), aggregates (filler/strength), water (reactant), and admixtures (modifiers). • Key Properties: Differentiate between concrete’s high compressive strength and its low tensile strength. • Mixing, Placing, and Curing: Cover the critical steps required to produce durable, high-quality concrete from a mix. • Introduction to Concrete Types: Get acquainted with common varieties like ready-mix, precast, and shotcrete. Case Study Focus: The Roman Pantheon. Its massive, unreinforced concrete dome has survived for nearly two millennia, serving as a testament to the longevity and engineering potential of ancient concrete formulations. Estimated Study Time: 6-8 hours. | Introduction & scope — Overview of curriculum goals, ethical boundaries, legal constraints, and responsible use of technical knowledge in civilian and military contexts; sets expectations for learning outcomes. Basic materials science of concrete — Fundamental chemistry and physics of Portland cement, aggregates, water, admixtures, hydration, and microstructure that determine strength, durability, and failure modes. Concrete mix design principles (conceptual) — High-level concepts behind proportioning mixes for different performance goals (strength, workability, durability) without prescriptive recipes or step-by-step instructions. Mechanical properties and testing — What compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus, creep, shrinkage, and standardized tests tell you about concrete performance and limitations. Durability and degradation mechanisms — Corrosion of reinforcement, freeze-thaw, sulfate attack, alkali-silica reaction and other processes that reduce service life, plus high-level mitigation strategies used in engineering practice. Aggregate selection and effects — Role of aggregate type, grading, and quality on concrete behavior and durability, with emphasis on forensic identification (what failed structures reveal). Admixtures and additives (overview) — Categories and purposes of admixtures (e.g., plasticizers, retarders, pozzolans) and their effects on properties, described conceptually rather than operationally. |
| Module 2: Concrete in Modern Civil Engineering 🏗️ Reinforced Concrete Advanced Reinforcement Formwork and Shoring Applications in Buildings Applications in Infrastructure Concrete Testing & Failure Modes Case Study Focus: The Hoover Dam | Reinforcement concepts & composite behavior Concrete structural systems Foundations and substructure considerations Construction methods and quality control (non-actionable overview) Repair, retrofitting, and strengthening (principles) Codes, standards & specifications Concrete in urban infrastructure Forensic investigation & failure analysis Durable design & resilience to natural hazards |
| Module 3: Concrete as a Defensive Tool in Urban Warfare 🛡️ History of Fortifications Principles of Structural Hardening Ballistic & Blast Resistance Anti-Vehicle Obstacles Field Fortifications Urban Strongpoints Case Study Focus: The Atlantic Wall | Blast, impact, and progressive collapse (conceptual overview) Historical uses of concrete in urban conflict Non-constructive defensive measures & protection planning Humanitarian, legal, and ethical frameworks Detection, mitigation, and emergency response Urban planning & the built environment’s strategic effects |
| Module 4: Breaching and Countering Concrete in Urban Offensives 💥 Mechanical Breaching Explosive Breaching Anti-Structure Munitions Tactics in the “Concrete Jungle” Weaponizing Rubble Rapid Obstacle Creation Case Study Focus: The Second Battle of Fallujah (2004) | Materials innovation & future directions Risk assessment, lifecycle cost, and sustainability Case studies and cross-disciplinary lessons Communication, reporting & interagency coordination Ethical capstone project & policy recommendations |
| Total study hours (approximate, conceptual learning + reading + case studies): 180–260 hours. At 1 hour/day: ~180–260 days. At 2 hours/day: ~90–130 days. This range assumes self-directed study using the free ChatGPT for explanations, suggested readings, discussion prompts, and conceptual exercises; it does not assume hands-on labs, formal courses, or professional supervision. |
Hot Takes
Gemini clearly provides a more concise and organized route to learning while ChatGPT offers a plethora of chapters to pull from a la carte. The real kicker is the time estimations – not sure I have half a year to spend learning about concrete!
While ChatGPT might be massaged into a more concise few-week casual study, the organizational structure is lacking too. There is a mix of topics without a clear overarching focus, while clear objectives are present in Gemini.
Gemini seems to be the place to start, ChatGPT used as a tutor or source of questioning on topics Gemini left out of its abridged version.
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Nifty! I am happy to know that these LLMs can help put together a study plan on topics I have interest in. Heck, I might even need to stop at the store for a bag of cement mix! Though starting with a notebook may be the easiest case.
The other areas of study are very much looked forward to. Should I find something especially cool in this concrete work or the AI used to deliver it, you will be the first to know! Cheers to your own explorations ~
Jimmy Chattin 