As of 2022, over 5 million research papers were published every year, on average. This is a staggering number that can leave anyone astonished at the sheer volume of output stemming from the academic community. Simplifying the approach to research as well as accessing research has been a challenge for the educational, technological, and archiving communities alike. Apart from conducting research, viewing existing studies and data is just as important. The dawn of widespread AI applications has resulted in the rise of new, highly efficient solutions to existing problems. Consensus AI is a firm that has utilized the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to aid easy retrieval of scientific research. The tool built by Consensus is essentially a search engine that processes a user query and presents results from reputed, published, and rigorous sources. Consensus AI essentially provides users with the opportunity to easily pull up distilled information pertinent to their query from a vast array of peer-reviewed research publications.
The company was launched in September 2022, garnering over 200,000 registered users in 6 months following its launch. Consensus AI utilizes natural language processing and language model artificial intelligence to identify, sort, and present relevant snippets from verified scientific articles to streamline scientific web searches. Essentially, the application acts as a highly customized AI search engine that can be deployed in scientific research use cases. The development of Consensus AI hints at a growing trend of deploying data-driven insights, referencing, and the usage of pointed AI tools in aiding research and analysis of highly defined topics.
Understanding the Consensus AI Search Engine
Consensus provides only verified and published research snippets in response to user queries.
Consensus AI utilizes language models along with deep learning protocols to scan through a vast database of scientific literature. What’s more interesting is that Consensus’ results are also powered by the inclusion of blockchain technologies, which are traditionally deployed in decentralized currencies and cryptography. Blockchain allows Consensus AI to evaluate the vast array of scientific literature available on the internet and also provide incentives for contributors that produce tangible results and data. Upon entering a query in the AI search engine, Consensus provides a list of potential responses alongside the credentials of the source and the level of confidence concerning the user’s original search terms. The source material for Consensus is currently the Semantic Scholar database, which contains over 400 million research articles from just about every scientific domain. Each month, the platform adds more data and information to the platform, while aiming to upscale existing databases as time progresses.
Consensus AI allows for the proliferation and usage of AI for science and research. Moreover, it also enables an evidence-based approach to answering important scientific questions and enhancing an empirical perspective. All queries have to be inherently scientific or point to something that derives its basis from a scientific discipline and from tangible research and data. AI search engines like Consensus can become significant tools in aiding educational institutions and students in carrying out more pointed reading and research work. The tool works better when questions are framed with definite purpose and intent to aid the search better. Consensus AI’s attempt is one of a kind, and it even offers a separate “Synthesize” option that allows users to utilize the platform’s inbuilt generative AI capability to structure and provide comprehensive answers derived from distilled research information spanning multiple publications.
Utilizing AI for Science: Technical Details of Consensus AI
Web search tools like Consensus simplify research citations and also provide seamless access to data-driven decision making.
Consensus uses OpenAI’s GPT-4 language model to aid its search across a vast database of research publications. Apart from finding answers to highly pointed questions, it also enables users to access information that might not entirely be in line with their assumptions or hypotheses. Consensus AI is a search engine that hosts no sponsored content and provides only those responses that are pertinent to user queries. The platform offers users detailed guidelines on how to format their questions to get the most accurate results. This is designed to prevent confirmation bias and to make the most of the underlying AI search protocol deployed by the platform. Though Consensus also uses blockchain technology to reward quality contributors, there’s no clarity on how the firm utilizes these protocols to its benefit.
The AI-generated content on Consensus is also derived from the fast GPT-4 model, which powers the Synthesize feature. Apart from these unique features, the platform also provides users with a “Consensus Meter,” which streamlines opinions on “Yes/No” questions. This allows users to get a quick overview of existing opinions on their straightforward questions. Unlike other major chatbots like ChatGPT or Bard, Consensus directly cites papers to provide information instead of generating long and drawn-out responses. The straightforward AI search engine service offers subscription plans in three tiers, with the basic plan being completely free, allowing users to ask unlimited questions but with a limit of three “Synthesize” summaries per month. The premium membership allows unlimited GPT-4 summaries, along with searches for a price of $6.99 a month. “Custom”—the final subscription tier—offers variable pricing depending on the number of users for large corporations.
The Future of AI Research and Tools Like Consensus
Platforms like Consensus AI are instrumental for the progress of scientific referencing and access.
Tools like Consensus AI bring to the fore the necessity of streamlining search results for scientific applications and research. The dawn of potent AI technologies has made this easier, thanks to crucial advances in neural networks and language modeling. While Consensus AI does show promise and sets the benchmark for the future of scientific web search, the tenets of responsible AI must be emphasized now more than ever. Given that using AI tools for research purposes is a highly sensitive matter and requires utmost attention to detail and specificity, there can be no compromise on accuracy or attention to detail. The pitfalls of AI such as bias and hallucination must also be borne in mind. As AI proliferates in sectors like healthcare and STEM, tools like Consensus’ AI search engine will prove to be extremely useful.
FAQs
1. Who is the founder of Consensus AI?
Consensus AI was founded by Eric Olson and Christian Salem who have a background in consumer technologies. The firm was launched in September 2022 and has witnessed considerable growth and funding.
2. What is Consensus AI?
Consensus AI is an AI search engine that allows users to arrive at insights and tangible information drawn from reputed research publications. Its applications are mainly catered to the scientific research community, and its database holds over 400 million research articles from numerous scientific disciplines.
3. Is Consensus AI free?
Consensus AI offers a basic free subscription plan that provides unlimited searches and three GPT-4 summaries. On the other hand, the Premium tier provides unlimited summaries and searches for $6.99. Larger firms can also avail of custom pricing plans.