Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Tools
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About This Table
The resources described in the AI Research Tools table represent an incomplete list of tools specifically geared towards exploring and synthesizing research. The table is designed to educate on AI tools and is not intended as an endorsement. Students should consult with their instructors regarding the use of AI tools in their coursework. This table will continue to see revision and updates as generative AI becomes more integrated in online search tools. If you have any questions about using these tools for your research, please contact Jessica Hollister or Nell Aronoff. For questions about your research topic, please contact your Subject Librarian.
AI Research Tools Table
The AI Research Tools Table below is designed to educate on AI tools and is not intended as an endorsement. Students should consult with their instructors regarding the use of AI tools in their coursework. For more information on AI tools, please see Ithaka S+R's Generative AI Product Tracker which lists tools by their primary purposes and includes pricing information, as well as updates on the tools' features and limitations. Additionally, There's An AI For That is a free AI aggregator—search the database to find the best AI apps or tools for any use case.
| NAME | WHAT IS IT | UNDERLYING DATA | IS IT FREE? | FAQs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Copilot | An AI-powered chatbot grounded in up-to-date information, can help you find answers and create content. | Powered by GPT-4 and can connect to the internet through Bing. | Yes. Microsoft Copilot is available for free to UB faculty, staff, and students. | |
| ChatGPT | While the AI chatbot ChatGPT is typically thought of as a writing tool, it can be used in the initial idea development phase of research, and can also be of use in finding further sources. (Remember to always look up sources to verify their credibility.) | Powered by GPT-4 and can connect to the internet through Bing. | Yes. | OpenAI Help Center - ChatGPT |
| Gemini | Designed by Google, Gemini (formerly Bard) is an AI-powered chatbot that responds to natural language queries with relevant information. As with ChatGPT, researchers can use Gemini to aid in topic development and initial source discovery. | Gemini can currently connect to the Internet. | Yes. Personal Google account required. | Gemini FAQ |
| Research Rabbit | Research Rabbit is a citation-based mapping tool that focuses on the relationships between research works. It uses visualizations to help researchers find similar papers and other researchers in their field. | Research Rabbit uses multiple databases, but does not name them (more information can be found on the FAQ page). | Yes. | Research Rabbit FAQs |
| Semantic Scholar | Semantic Scholar (which supplies underlying data for many of the other tools on this list) provides brief summaries of the main objectives and results of papers. | Semantic Scholar | Yes. | Semantic Scholar FAQs |
| Perplexity | Using LLMs, perplexity is a search engine that provides AI-generated answers (much like ChatGPT) including citations which are linked above the summaries. | Internal search index | Yes. | Perplexity FAQs |
| Consensus | Similar to Elicit, Consensus uses LLMs to help researchers find and synthesize answers to research questions, focusing on the scholarly authors' findings and claims in each paper. | Semantic Scholar | Free (20 searches/month); paid version allows unlimited searching. | Consensus FAQs |
| Connected Papers | Like Research Rabbit, Connected Papers focuses on the relationships between research papers to find similar research. You can also use Connected Papers to get a visual overview of an academic field. | Semantic Scholar | Free (5 graphs/month); paid version allows unlimited graphing. | Connected Papers - About |
| Inciteful | Similar to the research tools above, Inciteful's Literature Connector and Paper Discovery tools use visualizations to show connections between papers and find similar research. | Open AI, Semantic Scholar, Crossref, and OpenCitations | Yes. | Inciteful - About |
| Litmaps | Litmaps is another citation tool that uses visualizations to show connections between papers and find similar research. | Crossref, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex | Free (20 Basic Searches and 2 Litmaps per month); paid versions allow unlimited advanced searching and maps. | LitMaps - About |
| Scholarcy | Scholarcy summarizes key points and claims of articles into 'summary cards' that researchers can read, share, and annotate when compiling research on a given topic. | Scholarcy only uses research papers uploaded or linked by the researcher themselves. It works as a way to help you read and summarize your research, but is not a search engine. | Free (short articles only); paid version allows articles of any length. | Scholarcy FAQs |