This post is the third section of a 3 part series, created by members of the Mayor’s Youth Council, featuring discussions and ideas regarding the upcoming technologies of AI used in academic settings.
Introduction: What can we do?
So what can we do to combat these issues with AI? Despite the negative drawbacks, AI will continue to be a prevalent and upcoming technology that when used correctly, benefits society as a whole positively. Here are some ideas on how students can properly use AI tools for academic purposes. As Artificial Intelligence becomes an increasingly more pressing topic in our society, it is crucial that we all take steps to learn how to use it effectively and in a way that helps us, rather than harms us. One means of using AI in a responsible and ethical manner is through the usage of AI research tools. There are a number of research tools that can aid you in completing tasks more effectively and efficiently, while still ensuring that you are getting something valuable out of the experience. What are these tools?
Research Rabbit
The first AI research tool we will explore is ResearchRabbit. ResearchRabbit is a site which creates collections of papers for you on a topic that you provide it with. It then takes these collections of research papers and visually maps out connections between them which helps users to see the whole topic in a broad light and better comprehend the more complicated aspects of it. Many people in recent years have identified ResearchRabbit as the “spotify for research papers” due to its ability to sort everything out and present you with a condensed, yet useful list.
Consensus
Another research tool is Consensus. This tool can search for and through scholarly sources that are reputable which can help you in academic research across various fields. By searching through these sources, users are able to easily extract complex information from papers that can sometimes be difficult to find or decipher when they are buried in research and statistics that may be irrelevant to the user at that time. Based on these credible sources and scientific evidence, Consensus can also help to provide clear answers to more advanced questions of users.
Undermine
Next, Undermine is an AI research tool that uses academic databases to find relevant papers in response to difficult questions that users can pose. It puts together these relevant papers and creates a report which contains factual information to help users make and enhance connections between a variety of subtopics relating to their research. Consensus is also known for its astounding ability to provide immediate access to the accurate, important, and most relevant information.
Elicit
Last but not least, Elicit is a tool which uses a screening process to automatically gather data from thousands of sources. When a question is asked, it does not need to be overly specific as Elicit finds answers with neutral language, allowing for a variety of information to be analyzed, rather than restricting the scope of the research and data. After screening these sources, the program takes key information and transfers it into tables in order to streamline the analysis process.
Overall, AI is a resource that can be extremely beneficial to everyone in society if it is used correctly. By looking into and perhaps taking full advantage of some of the above research tools, one can use artificial intelligence as a real tool that elevates their learning experience, rather than deteriorating it.
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