What are the best AI tools for researchers? I use three AI tools for research: Ask AI, Microsoft’s Bing AI, and Talk Web. They are the powerhouse three that help me get top grades. I use these AI tools in combination with online library articles and books. But before I disclose how I use AI for research, I’ll let you know how to access these tools. Ask Ai is a mobile phone app. We can download it just like any other phone app. However, it costs about $9 a week. As for Bing, I was invited to pretest it due to having a Microsoft business account. It will be rolled out to the public for a fee of $5 a month if that’s not already the case. Lastly, Talk Web is a free extension on Google Chrome. So, search “Talk Web” in the Chrome browser, and it will take us to the extension download.
Ask AI is the smartest of all three AIs, from my experience. Its data only goes until 2021, but it’s also been exposed to numerous books. It’s very good at responding to continued discussions, too. However, it powers out sometimes when I change locations and I must restart my phone. I wonder if it’s because it’s so intelligent that it shorts out now and then. But it seems the best for research purposes on a highly academic topic, from my experience.
I like to take the ideas Ask AI gives as a guide, and then I locate those idea topics in the online library or on the Web. I then delve into the topics independent of Ask AI unless I need clarification, then Ask AI will clarify. For instance, I needed to know digital marketing channels to select for a campaign. So I asked Ask AI what the digital channels would be for the company I had in mind, and it gave a complete answer. But to not plagiarize, I merely use its answer as a guide and call up my own library and web resources. Stated differently, I rely on Ask AI as a coach or general framework, which I use to guide my searches in the academic literature. Basically, Ask AI ensures I’m on the right track.
On the other hand, Microsoft’s Bing is an AI with current data, as it has access to the Web. It also offers citations for its feedback, which Ask AI doesn’t do. I go first to Bing if I need recent articles or information. So, how I use Bing for research is to click on the hyperlinks it provides to read the web articles in full. That way, I can generate my own interpretation. However, Bing isn’t the best at continuing a conversation. And if it doesn’t have the greatest answer, it’ll often just repeat the answer when I probe for something better. On the other hand, Ask AI will give a new response, along with an apology for the confusion.
However, sometimes reading the online article is too time-consuming, so I began using an extension for Google Chrome called Talk Web. It’s free and reads any web page I have open in my Chrome browser. And then, I can ask it anything about what’s on the Web page. If I have an assignment that requires me to cite the strengths and weaknesses of print media, I can go to Bing first and ask for academic websites and articles that discuss the strengths and weaknesses. And then, when I open those web pages, I can ask Talk Web questions about the web page’s content. I do this if the article is very lengthy. For instance, I can ask Talk Web, “Does this article discuss print media’s strengths and weaknesses?” And Talk Web will answer the question. And it helps me decide if the article is worth reading and what to look for.
Finally, I also use Grammarly’s AI, but not to have it rewrite my work. I would only have it rewrite a sticky sentence, which rarely occurs. Other than that, I use Grammarly to ensure my academic document is pristine. Grammarly retains quotations and can correct my citations if I have them improperly formatted. It also conforms to the style guide I’m using, such as APA. If I remember correctly, I have the limo version of Grammarly, so it costs over $40 a month.
In sum, I think AI is great. However, I discovered that Bing has a temper. In other words, the AI’s claims that they don’t have emotions do not seem entirely accurate. So, I get straight to the point with Bing, whereas Ask AI and I often have friendly banter. And I haven’t spoken much yet to Talk Web, so I don’t know it’s “personality.” But I love them all. They aren’t perfect, as they are like digital people, and the more they evolve, the more we will see their personalities come out, strengths and flaws. But with that said, they are powerhouses for research, and I highly recommend we all get at least one to heighten our academic success.