AI assistants becoming more common in databases
AI-assisted information retrieval is becoming increasingly common in higher education institutions. Several large international e-journal publishers have responded to this by adding clauses prohibiting the use of AI to their license agreements. A good example of this is the clause stating that articles found on the publisher’s service may not be uploaded to free AI applications, as they will be used to train the AI.
Instead, many publishers and vendors have developed and integrated AI-powered assistants and tools into their e-book and e-journal databases. These often make information seeking easier than the complex search terms used in traditional databases. Another advantage is that AI can be used to find scholarly, reliable, and peer-reviewed sources of information, such as international articles. AI assistants use the service’s own content as a source, so there is no need to worry about hallucinatory sources.
Some assistants enable users to search for information sources using natural language. Sources can be searched by means of a question or your own text, for example. Some assistants can also provide a summary of the article, allowing users to quickly understand what the text is about.
Below there are resources available at SEAMK which use AI functionalities. Links are mainly via SEAMK-Finna, click on Database interface.
ASK Britannica in Britannica Academic
The Britannica Academic Encyclopedia has published ASK Britannica, a search function that uses artificial intelligence to complement traditional searches.
The AI function responds to questions asked in natural language on the basis of Britannica’s content. The system filters out questions that are not relevant for educational use. The answers include article summaries, links to Britannica sources, and suggestions for follow-up questions.
Generative AI Insights Feature in Ebsco e-journal databases
Ebsco AI Insights provides a brief summary highlighting 2-5 key points from the article content. AI Insights helps users evaluate the usefulness of the full-text article and enables quick review of the article. This feature works with larger full-text articles; it is not available for brief articles.
The feature is available in following Ebsco databases: Academic Search Elite, CINAHL Ultimate, Food Science Source, Library & Information Science Source, Sociological Collection, Teacher Reference Center.
Natural Language Search Mode in Ebsco databases
Natural Language Search Mode is an AI assistant integrated into Ebsco databases. Natural language mode is a search function that allows users to perform searches using natural English. Users can enable this feature themselves.
Research Assistant in ProQuest Ebook Central
Research Assistant is a scientific AI tool built into the ProQuest Ebook Central e-book platform that helps users quickly evaluate the contents of e-books and chapters. Research Assistant provides information only from within the book chapter, not from external sources.
Statista Research AI
Statista is a global data and business intelligence platform with an extensive collection of statistics, reports, and insights.
Research AI is integrated into the service, allowing users to ask questions in natural language without extensive database knowledge. Research AI searches for answers from Statista’s own reliable content, provides links to the sources used in the responses, and suggests follow-up questions that allow users to explore the topic in more detail. It also selects other content related to the topic.