Update: After months of generic replies, my chatbot finally gave a useful answer

I've been testing this AI chatbot for help with research, and it always gave vague or repeated info. For instance, asking about recent AI breakthroughs just got the same basic summary every time. It was super frustrating, like hitting a wall. Yesterday, I tweaked how I phrased my questions based on a reddit thread. I asked for specific examples from 2023, and boom, it listed three new papers I hadn't seen. Such a relief after all that dead ends. Now I feel like I can actually use it for my work.

2 comments

2 Comments

wendysmith1d ago

Those three papers from 2023, the chatbot likely just fetched them from a top search result. It still does not really get what you are asking, it just matches words. Having to phrase things perfectly is a sign of a weak system, not a win. All that time wasted shows it is not a good research helper, and one lucky answer does not change that. I would rather use a regular search engine than hope a bot decides to work right.

xenan501d ago

But have you tried using a chatbot for specific research? It can find papers that don't pop up on the first page of Google. I asked about recent changes in climate models, and it pulled up a 2023 study from a journal I never read. It summarizes key points fast, saving you from digging through every abstract. Sure, you need to be clear, but that's true for any search tool. For getting a quick overview or when you're stuck, it's a helpful addition to regular searches.