Generative AI tools have been receiving a lot of attention lately because they can create content like text, images, and music. These tools employ machine learning algorithms that can produce unique and sometimes unexpected results. Generative AI has opened up exciting possibilities in different fields, such as language models like GPT and image generators.

However, students need to approach these tools with awareness and responsibility. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Information Hallucinations and Summarization Accuracy: Generative AI tools can produce inaccurate citations and summaries. Some tools use trusted sources, but users must understand the scope of these sources and verify all information independently.
2. Novelty and Creativity: Generative AI tools can produce content that is both innovative and unexpected. They allow users to explore new ideas, generate unique artworks, and even compose original music. This novelty is one of their most exciting aspects. It also means that generative AI content is not reproducible.
3. Ethical Considerations: While generative AI offers creative potential, it also raises ethical questions. Students should be aware of potential biases, sensitive data input, and the impact of their generated content. Responsible use involves considering the broader implications.
4. Academic Integrity: When using generative AI tools for academic purposes, students should always consult their instructors and/or supervisors first. Always seek guidance to ensure compliance with academic integrity standards (please refer to the Duke Community Standard).

ChatGPT & Generative AI Tools Collaborative Guide - Duke Libraries

Did you know that most Duke faculty, staff, and students have free access to ChatGPT 5? 

Log in with your Duke credentials to start using it today.

What is it?

ChatGPT 5 is an advanced AI model designed to understand, generate, and analyze complex text, making it a useful tool research support. It can help streamline literature reviews by summarizing articles, extracting key themes, comparing findings across sources, and suggesting gaps in the research. While this allows researchers to save time, bear in mind that ChatGPT does not replace the human brain... always verify and read your sources!

Best suited for...

All users across all disciplines.

Considerations

• Great brainstorming and idea generation tool
• Helpful for unpacking dense concepts and digesting academic literature
• Due to coverage bias, it does not replace searching library databases, such as Web of Science or PubMed
• Lack of source transparency (it doesn't always show you where its information comes from)
• Use it as a complement, not a replacement

» chatgpt.com « be sure to login with your netid@duke.edu email address first!

Did you know that as Duke faculty, staff, and students, we have free access to GPT4 via Microsoft Copilot?

Log in with your Duke credentials to start using it today.

What is it?

Microsoft Copilot harnesses the power of GPT-4, one of the most robust large language models (LLMs), in the form of a chatbot, answering questions and generating text that sounds like it was written by a human. While not a replacement for conducting research, it can be helpful when it comes to brainstorming topics or research questions and also as a writing tool (rewriting or paraphrasing content, assessing tone, etc.).

Best suited for...

All users across all disciplines.

Considerations

• Free way to use the GPT-4 model since ChatGPT-4 requires a subscription
• Since it can't always verify its sources, be wary of hallucinations (or made-up citations) that can look very real.
• It is not 100% accurate! While GPT-4 is touted as being 40% more accurate than its predecessor, users are still expected to verify the information generated by it.
• There is always the potential for bias since the GPT model was trained on a massive dataset of websites, articles, books, etc. (much of which is inherently biased since it was created by humans).

Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4) » copilot.microsoft.com «

For ChatGPT-3.5 (free) » chat.openai.com «

What is it?

Research Rabbit is a literature mapping tool that takes one paper and performs backward- and forward citation searching in addition to recommending "similar work." It scans the Web for publicly available content to build its "database" of work.

Best suited for...

Disciplines whose literature is primarily published in academic journals.

Considerations

• Free!
• Integrates with Zotero
• Works mostly with just journal articles
• Potential for bias in citation searching/mapping

» researchrabbit.ai «

What is it?

Dubbed the "AI-powered Swiss Army Knife for information discovery," Perplexity is used for answering questions (including basic facts, a function that many other AI tools are not adept at doing), exploring topics in depth utilizing Microsoft's Copilot, organizing your research into a library, and interacting with your data (including asking questions about your files).

Best suited for...

Perplexity has wide-reaching applications and could be useful across disciplines.

Considerations

• Free and paid pro versions (the pro version utilizes Microsoft's Copilot AI tool)
• Available in desktop, iOS, and Android apps
• You can upload files in plain text, code, or PDF format and Perplexity will utilize the file contents to formulate answers 
  • See Perplexity's blog for more info
• Your personal information and data on how you use the tool are stored for analytical purposes (however, this feature can be turned off in settings)
• Features a browser plug-in, Perplexity Companion, that is essentially a blend of Google and ChatGPT

» perplexity.ai «