Preus Library's AI Literacy Guide

NotebookLM

• Summarizes content and creates text and audio overviews
• "Freemium" -- the basic version is free, but a more advanced and private version of this Google product is accessible to the Luther community because we have an enterprise license.

Relatively good for:

• Summarizing content as overviews, timelines, or mind maps
• Creating "podcast" audio overviews of content for study and review
• Generating content based only on materials that you upload or share

Not great for:

• Broader analysis (limited to your uploads)
• Evaluating the accuracy of its generated content (you'll need to do that part)
• Expressing your own critical and authorial voice
• Incorporating premium or subscription content

Concerns:

• Don't get trapped in a feedback loop. Look for information outside of what Notebook LM remixes for you.
• Notebook LM provides "citations" for generated content from your uploads, but you should always verify them
• Protect your privacy. Don't share personal information with NotebookLM.

Claude

• "Freemium" -- the basic version is free; account required. More advanced features are available by subscription.
• For your protection, you should change your account settings to avoid sharing your data.
• Claude is an LLM, with some live web searching; it's designed to work with language.

Relatively good for:

• Brainstorming and summarizing
• Generating keywords and search strategies
• Accessing more recent information than many other free LLMs
• Locating some sources that are free online

Not great for:

• Long conversations (free version is limited)
• Generating a list of sources (high risk of hallucination; only provides citations for sources that are free online)
• Evaluating the accuracy and relevance of its generated content (you'll need to do that part)
• Expressing your own authorial voice

Concerns:

• Claude may provide better source citations than some other LLMs, but they tend to be only regular websites. For most research, you'll want to also use library databases and Google Scholar so that you can find scholarly resources.
• Protect your privacy. Don't share personal information with Claude.

ChatGPT

• The basic version is free
• For your own protection, you should change your account setting to NOT share data
• ChatGPT is an LLM, which means it's designed to work with language.

Relatively good for:

• Brainstorming and summarizing
• Generating keywords and search strategies
• Quick formatting and reformatting 

Not great for:

• Generating a list of sources (high risk of hallucination; content may be out of date)
• Evaluating the accuracy and relevance of its generated content (you'll need to do that part)
• Expressing your own authorial voice

Concerns:

• Any citations provided may be hallucinated.
• Protect your privacy. Don't share personal information with ChatGPT.

Grammarly

• Grammarly is designed to be "an AI writing partner".
• "Freemium" -- the basic version is free; account required. More advanced features are available by subscription.

Relatively good for:

• Grammar and spelling corrections
• Vocabulary suggestions
• Customizing tone and style

Not great for:

• Evaluating accuracy of your written content (you'll need to do that part)
• Expressing your own authorial voice

Concerns:

• Overreliance on Grammarly's automated features might erase too much of your own contributions to the work. Stay involved and make sure your own ideas and personality are still coming through.
•  Protect your privacy. Don't share important personal information with Grammarly.

Perplexity

• "Freemium" -- the basic version is free; more advanced features are available by subscription.
• For your protection, you should change your account settings to avoid sharing your data.
• Perplexity is an LLM, with some live web searching; it's designed to work with language.

Relatively good for:

• Brainstorming and summarizing
• Generating keywords and search strategies
• Finding free websites and some open access resources (though there are some hallucinations)

Not great for:

• Long conversations (free version is limited)
• Generating a list of sources (does not provide the best sources; only helpful for finding easy sources that are free online)
• Evaluating the accuracy and relevance of its generated content (you'll need to do that part)
• Expressing your own authorial voice

Concerns:

• Perplexity may provide better source citations than some other LLMs, but they tend to be only regular websites. For most research, you'll want to also use library databases and Google Scholar so that you can find scholarly resources.
• Protect your privacy. Don't share personal information with Perplexity.

ResearchRabbit

• Creates visualizations of related research using PubMed and Semantic Scholar
• Free; requires an account
• Can connect to Zotero
   

Relatively good for:

• Visualizing connections between papers
• Following the path of scholarly dialogue
• Discovering related research

Not great for:

• Very recent publications
• Topics not well represented in PubMed or Semantic Scholar

Concerns:

• ResearchRabbit cannot evaluate the quality of the papers it displays. You must do that part.
• Focuses on journal articles. It won't connect you to books or other sources.

Transparency:

• Points to citations for actual published articles
• Access to content may be dependent on library subscriptions or interlibrary loan
   

Elicit

• Searches Semantic Scholar and builds "research reports" based on prompts.
• "Freemium" -- basic version is free; requires an account. More advanced features are available by subscription.
• Can connect to Zotero
   

Relatively good for:

• Exploring research in fields that use empirical studies (e.g. medicine, computer science)
• Building a matrix to compare studies by sample size, methodology, etc.
• Discovering related research

Not great for:

• Non-science fields
• Topics not well represented in Semantic Scholar

Concerns:

• Elicit cannot evaluate the quality of the papers it displays. You must do that part.
• Focuses on journal articles. Will not connect you to books or other types of sources.

Transparency:

• Points to citations for actual published articles
• Access to content may be dependent on library subscriptions or interlibrary loan