4.7: AI for research assistance
- Page ID
- 346972
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)If chatbots can be biased and inaccurate, then it’s obviously a bad idea to use them to find information or sources, right? Well, these days, it’s complicated.
You may have heard warnings against using ChatGPT like a search engine. You may have seen funny or not so funny examples of Google AI overviews giving wrong answers with footnotes right next to them. See Don't trust AI: sometimes it makes things up.
However, I do find that in some circumstances they help me find an answer and check it much more quickly than a search engine. Especially now that most chatbots and other genAI systems can browse the Internet or databases and give links to real sources, there are ways they can be very useful as a complement to traditional search.
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Traditional Internet or database search |
GenAI-assisted research |
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You have to figure out the best search terms Pro: That means you have to think more about what you want. Cons: You might miss some alternate terms or it might take forever to try all possible combinations |
You can just ask your question as you would naturally and the chatbot comes up with search terms. Pro: Less cognitive load and time Cons: You might not clarify what you’re looking for in your own mind. Chatbot may misinterpret what you want and use the wrong search terms. |
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You go through a list of sources and decide which is relevant and credible. |
GenAI searches and goes through the sources it finds and assesses which are credible and help to answer the question. It may choose sources that you wouldn’t consider credible, like a Reddit post of someone’s opinion or a site that advertises a product. |
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You read the sources and assess what the main points are and how they help you answer your question. |
GenAI summarizes and compares the sources and answers your question very quickly. It may misrepresent what is in the sources. |
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Once you have searched and assessed what you found and arrived at an answer to your question, you’ll have a good sense of what that answer is based on and will feel confident in its accuracy. |
You’ll get an answer quickly but won’t know what it is based on. You’ll have to research and read sources to see whether the answer is a good one and what supports it. |
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It might be prohibitively time-consuming to read and assess a large number of sources with different perspectives. |
GenAI can analyze many sources quickly including multiple kinds of sources and perspectives on a topic. |
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Search may turn up lots of sources that are related but aren’t precisely answering your question with all its details. |
GenAI will provide an answer tailored to your question. For example, you can ask, “What are some little-known films I might enjoy if I love Steven Spielberg and dislike Martin Scorsese?" |
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Quicker to give ideas for low-stakes questions where you just want to get your brain working and think of possibilities. Example: |