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Different types of GenAI tools

Generative AI tools are continuously being developed. You will come across different types, including:

Gen AI tools take user input known as "prompts" and outputs text, images, and code. They are useful for summarising a topic and brainstorming. Note: their limitations include hallucinations, as well as being inaccurate, out of date, and biased.

Below are some current examples of widely-used tools.

Tools available with your Torrens account

Scopus AI 

Scopus is an established reputable database for scholarly material that links citation details with authors and institutions. Scopus launched a Gen AI tool that uses natural language questions to create a summary of the research published on that topic, referencing key articles published in sources published in the past five years and generated with links to authors and key subjects.  

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/torrens.edu.au?url=http://www.scopus.com/

Check out our Scopus AI FAQ. We also run Scopus AI workshops a few times per trimester - browse our workshop schedule.

$ ScopusAI is included in our current license for Scopus 

 

 

Text Generation

Microsoft Copilot 

Microsoft’s AI chat assistant is built into Windows and the Microsoft Edge browser. It uses Bing search results to generate text. A Large Language Model (LLM) to answer user prompts, it has limitations of inaccurate, out of date and bias in its results.

https://copilot.microsoft.com/ 

$ Microsoft Copilot is free with a Microsoft account. Torrens students and staff can log in with their Torrens account.

ChatGPT

One of the first chatbots. Using natural language prompts, ChatGPT generates text answers using LLM. However, the data it uses can be out of date and its well-known for imagined responses. 

https://chat.openai.com/

$ Chat GPT 3.5 is free, there is a subscription for later versions.

 

Google Gemini

Gemini is Google's chatbot -previously known as Bard. It uses a LLM to answer queries. Prompts can be text, images or code. It uses current data from online searches in its database and has limitations of inaccurate, out of date and bias in its results.

https://gemini.google.com/

$ There is a free, basic version and tiered payment for advanced features.

 

Perplexity

Perplexity can use a variety of media input, but focuses on accuracy over user-friendliness and tends to be less conversational. It uses current information and cites sources.

https://www.perplexity.ai/ 

$ Perplexity has a tiered fee structure; the free version offers basic features whereas the paid version uses academic sources and more detailed responses.  

 

 Riff

The Riff Reflection tool generates questions to help you think about a subject more deeply, and from new perspectives.

https://riffbot.ai/

$ Free 

 

Image Generation

Microsoft Image Creator 

Microsoft. (2024). Designer image creator. https://designer.microsoft.com/image-creator.
Prompt: Historical black and white photo of women suffragettes in London 1910.

Microsoft Image Creator Produces high-quality images uses natural language prompts. It has limitations of distortions and bias.

https://designer.microsoft.com/image-creator

$ Free with Microsoft accounts. Torrens students and staff can log in with their Torrens account.

 

Dall-E 2 

Dall-E 2 generates editable, high-quality images from natural language input. There are ethical concerns about how it was trained and it cannot process more complex prompts.

https://openai.com/dall-e-2 

$ Dall-E 2 offers 50 free credits, Dall-E 3 is subscription-based but it is said to address many of the issues in processing complex prompts

 

Code generation

Github Copilot

Supports programmers to write code quickly the results of which - as with other Generative AI tools - need to be assessed critically.  It has more developed coding functions than ChatGPT.

https://github.com/features/copilot

$ The basic Github Copilot plan is free, however the subscription-based version has additional features.

 

Text generation tools such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini can also be used for coding. 

Research tools

ChatPDF  

Very easy to use, drag and drop your PDF and a summary is generated by answering possible questions you may have asked in reading the content.

https://www.chatpdf.com/

$ ChatPDF allows two free PDF summaries per day. 

 

Elicit 

Elicit works with Semantic Scholar articles to highlight research in a field of study based on a research question. From top papers, information is summarised into main concepts.

https://elicit.com/

$ Elicit has a tiered payment plan, more of the summary is shared per tier of payment. 

 

OpenRead AI

OpenRead AI offers a natural language question platform and provides a summary and a list of articles on your topic, OpenRead summarises PDF's that you upload.

https://www.openread.academy/

$ You will need to register a non-Torrens account to see the summary, OpenRead offers a tiered payment plan.

 

ResearchRabbit  

Research Rabbit integrates with Zotero, the reference management system, where you can upload a collection of articles from Zotero to Research Rabbit and it will summarise the content.

https://www.researchrabbit.ai/ 

$ ResearchRabbit is a free tool 

 

SciSpace 

Good for a general review of a topic on an introductory level. The SciSpace function offers dynamic summaries of uploaded PDF's. It can have innacurate summaries or citations.

https://typeset.io/ 

$ SciSpace has a tiered payment plan, more of the summary is shared per tier of payment. 

 

Scopus AI tool

Scopus is an established reputable database for scholarly material that links citation details with authors and institutions. Scopus launched a Gen AI tool that uses natural language questions to create a summary of the research published on that topic, referencing key articles published in sources published in the past five years and generated with links to authors and key subjects.  

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/torrens.edu.au?url=http://www.scopus.com/

$ ScopusAI included in our current license for Scopus 

 

Semantic scholar  

Semantic Scholar summarises text with snippets of important information from articles and citation metrics. Semantic scholar holds less scholarly material than google scholar, it is reliant on partnerships with publishers for access to publications.

https://www.semanticscholar.org/

$ Semantic scholar is free.

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