AI Research Tools: Consensus
TLDRThis video introduces Consensus, a research tool that provides summaries of academic papers based on user queries. It highlights how Consensus improves on AI tools like ChatGPT by searching actual research papers and offering citations, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The tool is especially useful for answering yes/no questions, as it compiles findings from the top papers and presents them through a consensus meter. While still in beta, Consensus is a promising resource for literature reviews. The video also compares it with tools like Elicit, noting areas for improvement, particularly in expanding its database coverage.
Takeaways
- 🔍 The AI tool 'Consensus' helps users find summaries of research papers by answering questions about research topics.
- 📚 It addresses a common issue with AI, which is the fabrication of fake research citations, by sourcing from actual papers.
- 🤖 Consensus can handle various types of queries, including yes/no questions, and provides a summary based on the research it finds.
- 📊 The tool features a 'Consensus Meter' that indicates the level of agreement among the top papers it analyzes.
- 🔗 It provides links to the full text of research papers and highlights the quality of the sources, such as randomized control trials and systematic reviews.
- 📈 The summary and consensus are dynamic, changing based on the quality and relevance of the papers that meet its standards.
- 🚫 Consensus is transparent about its limitations, noting that it is in beta and may not be 100% accurate.
- 🔎 The tool could improve by expanding the range of research databases it searches to ensure more thorough coverage.
- 📝 For specific queries, like the validity of the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale for New Zealand adolescents, Consensus provides relevant citations.
- 💡 Consensus is a valuable research tool, especially for quick literature reviews and to get a general consensus on research topics.
Q & A
What is the purpose of the AI tool 'Consensus'?
-The AI tool 'Consensus' is designed to search research papers and provide summaries when asked questions about research topics.
How does 'Consensus' address the issue of fake research papers cited by AI?
-Consensus addresses the issue by actually searching through real research papers, quoting, citing, and linking to them where possible, instead of making up fake research papers.
What types of questions can be asked using 'Consensus'?
-Users can ask about the relationship between concepts, simple yes/no questions, or inquire about the effects of a particular thing using 'Consensus'.
How does 'Consensus' handle yes/no questions?
-When asked a yes/no question, 'Consensus' searches for research papers, cites them, and provides a summary along with a 'consensus meter' indicating the percentage of papers that support a 'yes', 'no', or 'possibly' answer.
What is the 'consensus meter' and how does it work?
-The 'consensus meter' is a feature of 'Consensus' that summarizes the findings from the top papers it deems most relevant, indicating the percentage that support 'yes', 'no', or 'possibly' answers to a question.
How does 'Consensus' qualify the quality of its findings?
-Consensus qualifies the quality of its findings by favoring highly cited papers, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, indicating a high standard for the evidence it includes in its summaries.
What are some limitations or areas for improvement mentioned for 'Consensus'?
-Some limitations mentioned include the lack of displaying paper titles without clicking on them and the possibility that the tool may not cover as many research databases and articles as some other tools.
How does 'Consensus' handle situations where there is not enough research to form a consensus?
-If 'Consensus' cannot find enough research that meets its threshold, it will still list papers and provide finding summaries but will not display the consensus meter.
What is the accuracy disclaimer provided by 'Consensus'?
-Consensus is in beta and provides a disclaimer stating that it is not 100% accurate, suggesting a 90% accuracy level, and advises users not to make significant life decisions based solely on its findings.
How can users access and use 'Consensus'?
-Users can access 'Consensus' by visiting consensus.app and can create an account by linking their Google account.
What other AI research tools are mentioned in the script as complements to 'Consensus'?
-Other AI research tools mentioned include 'Cyspace', 'Illicit', and 'Science Base', which are suggested as complements to 'Consensus' for research purposes.
Outlines
🤖 New AI Tool: Consensus for Research Summaries
The video introduces a new AI tool called Consensus, designed to assist with research by searching academic papers and providing summaries. Unlike tools like ChatGPT, which can generate fake citations, Consensus focuses on giving accurate references from real research. The tool is particularly useful for yes/no questions, offering summaries with citations and a 'consensus meter' that aggregates results from top research papers.
📚 Evaluating Consensus Against Other Tools
The video continues by comparing Consensus with another AI tool, Illicit, highlighting areas where Consensus could improve, such as expanding its research database. The presenter tests Consensus with their own research, noticing that it sometimes misses relevant articles compared to Illicit. Despite this, Consensus is considered a strong complement to other research tools, with the hope that it will improve over time.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Consensus
💡Research Papers
💡Citations
💡Yes-No Questions
💡Systematic Review
💡Meta-analysis
💡Consensus Meter
💡Literature Review
💡Illicit
💡Randomized Control Trial
Highlights
Consensus is a tool for asking questions about research and summarizing findings from research papers.
It differs from tools like ChatGPT, which may generate fake citations, by actually searching research papers.
Similar tools like Scispace and Elicit also focus on providing actual research citations.
The tool provides summaries of findings, journals, authors, and links to full texts when available.
One drawback is that you have to click on a citation to see its full title.
Consensus favors high-quality sources like randomized control trials and systematic reviews.
The 'Consensus Meter' provides a summary based on the top research papers, offering a yes/no response with percentages.
For example, on the question 'Does creatine help build muscle?', 69% of papers said yes, and 31% said possibly.
The summary is based on the top 10 research papers, with the selection criteria adjusting per question.
If there aren't enough high-quality papers on a question, the tool will still provide citations but without a Consensus Meter.
Consensus is still in beta and not 100% accurate, with the developers stating it's about 90% reliable.
Warnings are included advising users not to make major life decisions based solely on the tool’s results.
Consensus excels at summarizing yes/no questions, but struggles with niche topics lacking a broad research base.
The tool doesn't cover as many research databases as its competitors, like Elicit, which may offer more relevant results.
Overall, Consensus is a useful research tool that complements other tools like Scispace and Elicit.
