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Generative AI Resources: AI Research Tools

Disclaimer

Keep in mind: if you are not paying for the product, then YOUR DATA is probably the product.

Artificial Intelligence Tools

One of the most important parts of using a tool is knowing what it is good for. Just like you wouldn't use a screwdriver to hammer in nails, you shouldn't use an AI tool to complete a task it isn't built for.

This is an incomplete list of the many generative AI tools that exist online. If you have any questions about AI and your work here at Manhattanville, either ask your instructor or ask the Library using our chat widget in the bottom right corner of the screen or by emailing molly.dignam@mville.edu.

AI Assistants

 

Name What It Does Example Uses Currently Free? Account Required? More Info
ChatGPT-3.5 Uses an LLM (Large Language Model) and RLHF (Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback) based on pre-September 2021 information to generate text based on prompts provided by the user Brainstorm a paper topic, make a template for writing emails Yes No ChatGPT FAQ
ChatGPT-4.0 Uses an LLM (Large Language Model) and RLHF (Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback) to generate text based on pre-April 2023 information from prompts provided by the user, the same as 3.5, but with a more recently updated knowledge base and the ability to analyze image and voice prompts along with text Brainstorm a paper topic, make a template for writing emails No, $20/month Yes ChatGPT FAQ
Claude Uses LLMs to generate text based on user prompts. Brainstorm a paper topic, summarize, transcribe an image

Free: Free with limited use

Pro: $20/month

 Yes Claude Overview
Gemini Uses LLMs to generate text based on its training data and searching Google services in response to prompts made by users. Brainstorm a paper topic, generate an image

Gemini: Free

Gemini Advanced: 1 month free trial, then $19.99/month

 Yes, your own Google account Gemini FAQ
Microsoft Copilot Uses LLMs and its access to Microsoft 365 to respond to prompts made by users. Brainstorm a paper topic, generate an image Yes, a Microsoft account or your Manhattanville account Microsoft Copilot Homepage
Perplexity Uses LLMs and web search to respond to search queries inputed by the user. Depending on the settings, it will summarize information and ask clarifying questions. Brainstorm, introduce yourself to a topic

Quick Search: Basic settings are free

Pro Search: $20/month

Quick Search: No, but it is encouraged

Pro Search: Yes

 Perplexity FAQ

Search

Name

What It Does

Example Uses

Currently Free?

Account Required?

More Info
Semantic Scholar Uses natural language and machine learning techniques to search; provides AI-generated summaries of the papers in their index Find relevant articles on a STEM topic Yes No, an account is optional Semantic Scholar FAQ
Elicit Uses LLMs (Large Language Models) to search Semantic Scholar's corpus, working best on "empirical domains that involve experiments and concrete results." It is most commonly used to retrieve more relevant articles and synthesize the information contained within them. Speeding up a literature review on a topic, gaining a quick understanding of a particular topic Free trial, then $10/month Yes Elicit FAQ

Iris.ai

 Iris.ai has two modes: Exploring and Focusing. In Explore, the user enters an article URL, and Iris.ai identifies related papers based on concepts and turns it into a "map." In Focus, the user can take a saved list of articles and quickly sort through them for the most useful ones.

Figuring  out what sources you want to use for a paper, exploring the various aspects of a topic for a better understanding

Free account has limited functionality; Premium account is $80/month after a 10 day free trial

Yes

 Iris.ai FAQ

ResearchRabbit

 ResearchRabbit is a visualization and discovery tool that will take any article DOI or URL that the user uploads and display how it is connected to other works and  recommend similar articles.

Working on a literature review or research project

Yes

Yes

ResearchRabbit FAQ

scite_

 Uses "Smart Citations" to show users if a particular paper has been cited by other authors and if those citations support, contrast, or just mention the evidence from the original paper. It also has an AI Assistant that can answer questions and cite sources in its answer.

Writing a literature review, making sure you're using the most up to date and correct research

No, $20/month after a 7-day free trial

Yes

scite_ FAQ

Undermind

Uses language models to create a more accurate search. Users ask their question, and Undermind will rank articles that it thinks are related to the prompt.

 Writing a research paper

No, $20/month after a free trial

Yes

About Undermind

 

Citation

Name

What It Does

Example Uses

Currently Free?

Account Required?

More Info
ShareGPT Extension that allows users to share records of their interaction with ChatGPT. Citation Yes Yes. Add the extension to the browser ShareGPT Homepage
A.I. Archives Extension that allows users to save interactions with Gemini, ChatGPT, Meta and Claude into a URL. Citation Yes Yes. Add the extension to the browser How to Use Video

Other

Name What It Does Example Uses Currently Free? Account Required? More Info

QuillBot

 Paraphraser, grammar checker, summarizer, citation generator, and translator. Can edit or summarize text that the user enters, but won't generate text on its own from a prompt. Making sure your paper uses correct grammar Basic settings are free, advanced settings are $8.33/month

For free usage: No, but it is encouraged

For paid usage: Yes

 QuillBot Help Center
SciSummary Users can email or upload the text, link, or PDF of a STEM article, and SciSummary will use GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models to respond with a summary of that article Working on a literature review, trying to understand a difficult reading No, $6.99/month after a free 1 month trial for students with limited functionality Yes SciSummary About Page

Updated August 8, 2024

Pros and Cons of Using These Tools

PROS CONS
  • The search functions on many of these tools are more robust and user friendly than the ones in databases.
  • The visualization tools make understanding how various topics and concepts are connected easier to understand
  • They are trained on and good for searching STEM topics.
  • They can cut the amount of time you spend on a task, so you can spend more time analyzing the information and creating a thesis statement.
  • Many AI tools train their products using the data entered by users. Never input personal identifying information (PII) or confidential information into an AI tool - you never know where that information will end up.
  • Many tools lack transparency about how they train their models, where their data comes from, and how they are using users' data.
  • "Recommendation" AI tools like ResearchRabbit can unintentionally paint you into a corner by only directing you towards particular articles. In the same way your TikTok FYP has videos that have never been on your friend's FYP, your experience finding articles will be impacted by the way you interact with the tool.
  • AI search tools like Semantic Scholar typically only search open access journals and articles, meaning that they will miss many articles that fit your topic if they were published in a journal or database that users (or their institutions) have to pay for. You can miss seminal works in your topic this way.
    • Even if you search using a tool, double check in databases that the Manhattanville University Library provides access to, like ProQuest Central or JSTOR.
  • Generative AI tools can and will make up citations. Using applications like ChatGPT to research can lead to you using fake articles. They will provide a real looking citation, but when you search for the article, it will not exist - so who knows if the information is correct either.
  • Tools struggle with searching for arts and humanities topics. They often have trouble with nuance.