AI research assistants are becoming increasingly sophisticated and efficient in automating parts of the research process. Allowing users free access to customized versions of research tools will likely only accelerate student adoption. Once again, we’re faced with the question of what we value in education. What degree of productive struggle do we believe is crucial for developing critical thinking?

Customized AI research tools offer users a frictionless research experience with integrated source retrieval and synthesis. While this may improve student engagement by lowering barriers to entry, I think many of us wonder what is potentially lost in the process. The human act of manually sifting through physical and digital sources, taking notes, sense-making, identifying key ideas and gaps, and then constructing original arguments from the various pieces may be something we want to keep–not offload. And once it is gone, I highly doubt that we will see its return. Too much automation in learning risks atrophying these uniquely human skills central to higher-order thinking.

What ways do you think we can integrate AI research tools to ensure they support student learning? 

Explore an AI Research Tool

Below are several different types of research tools that use different types of AI techniques to augment research. Some, like Keenious, are geared toward personal discovery, using a writer’s own words to help them discover connections. Others, like Consensus and Perplexity, use AI to speed up typical digital research. Take the time to explore one of the tools during our session today and return later to explore the others.