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Introduction to AI Literacy

Tool Comparison
Databases vs. Search Engines vs. AI Tools

AI Tools for Research

Generative AI can be a useful tool in the research process, streamlining tasks like finding relevant research for a literature review, organizing ideas or tasks in an easy to read format, proofreading preliminary drafts, and a variety of other tasks.

According to AI expert Ethan Mollick, it takes around 10 hours of use to become proficient with GenAI or other innovative AI apps. Before using with your assignments as an instructor or student, make sure you put in the time to understand these tools.

View the Ithaka S+R Product Tracker Google Document. The document is regularly updated as new AI tools become available. If you are looking for a specific tool, type CTRL+F to open the document's search bar. Before you start using one of the tools, make sure you check with your professor as to whether or not it is ok for you to do so, and make sure you understand the ethical considerations, such as privacy and copyright concerns.

Tool Comparison Table

The table below outlines some common generative AI tools and some key considerations for using them. UGA provides access to the paid versions of:

In addition to premium features, the university licenses of these tools promise greater privacy and security expectations for users, meaning the information uploaded by the user isn't used to continue training the tool and isn't at risk for discovery by other users.

Tool Name	Category	Primary Use	Key Features	Best For	Considerations
Goblin Tools	Project Management	Task breakdown, decision-making, tone analysis	Magic To-Do, Consultant, Judge tools; no account needed	Beginners, accessibility support	Limited memory; no account means no saved progress or history
Notion AI	Project Management	Collaborative planning, task tracking, document organization	Advanced interface, shared workspace, deadline tracking	Group projects, advanced users	Steeper learning curve; may be overwhelming for new users
NotebookLM	Project Management	Study guide creation, Q&A, audio (podcast) summaries from user-uploaded notes	UGA-licensed, privacy-focused, content-specific responses	Personalized study support, UGA supported access	Only works with uploaded content; no web search
Gemini / Copilot	Ideation & Brainstorming	Topic exploration, feedback, simplification of complex ideas	Chat-based, customizable, supports reflection and critical thinking	Creative tasks, tutoring, writing support; UGA access for Copilot and Gemini	May generate inaccurate or biased content; requires careful prompt crafting
Research Rabbit	Literature Search	Scholarly article discovery and citation mapping	Visual citation networks, timeline view, Zotero integration	Academic research, citation tracking	No chat interface
Scispace/Consensus/Scite	Literature Search	Scholarly Q&A, summarize articles, citation export	Chat with papers, summary tables, citation manager integration	Preliminary literature review, paper analysis	May not include all journals; requires careful interpretation of summaries
Grammarly	Editing & Proofreading	Grammar correction, clarity improvement, writing enhancement	AI feedback, plagiarism detection, writing history tracking	Essay writing, academic integrity	Free version has limited features; AI suggestions may not always align with academic tone
Turnitin	Instructor Tool	Plagiarism detection, AI writing detection	UGA access already provided, AI detection features	Academic integrity monitoring	AI detection can produce false positives; may disproportionately affect certain student groups
Khanmigo	Instructor Tool	Lesson planning, quiz creation, rubric development	AI teaching assistant, wide range of educator tools	Curriculum support, instructional design	Still evolving; may not support all subject areas or teaching styles

Databases vs. Search Engines vs. AI Tools: What's the difference?

Understanding the difference between AI chatbots, search engines, and library databases is essential for effective research. AI chatbots (like ChatGPT or Google Gemini) use machine learning to generate responses, summarize texts, and assist with brainstorming or refining research questions. They’re great for quick explanations or exploring unfamiliar topics but may not always provide verified or citable sources. Search engines (such as Google or DuckDuckGo) scan the internet to retrieve a wide range of content, from news articles to blog posts and scholarly papers. While they offer breadth, the quality and credibility of results can vary. In contrast, library databases (like JSTOR or PubMed) are curated collections of scholarly materials selected by experts. These databases provide access to peer-reviewed articles, books, and other academic resources that are reliable and often required for college-level research.

Some resources may contain a combination of each of these. For example, many search engine searches now include an AI Overview that summarizes the top results. Many academic databases have also begun to incorporate AI assistants to help summarize academic articles or assist with other basic research tasks. This makes it all the more important to understand the differences between these types of tools, so you can know how to best utilize each one. Knowing which tool to use and when is crucial for conducting well-rounded research. Take a look at the table below to see how these tools compare to one another.

Comparison of Databases, Search Engines, and AI Tools

Category	Databases	Search Engines	AI Tools
What are they?	Curated, searchable collections of scholarly and subject-specific information selected by experts	Web tools that search for and retrieve information across the internet	Tools that use artificial intelligence to assist with research tasks like summarization, keyword expansion, or question answering
Examples	Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect	Google, Google Scholar, Safari, DuckDuckGo, Microsoft Edge	ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Elicit, Perplexity, ResearchRabbit
What type of content is included?	Peer-reviewed articles, books, data, images, streaming media, and more	Web pages, images, videos, news, scholarly articles (via Google Scholar), etc.	Varies by tool: some use proprietary data, others access the open web or scientific databases
How is content included?	Content is selected and vetted by subject experts based on specific quality and topical criteria	Results are ranked using proprietary algorithms; content is not vetted before indexing	Based on trained large language models and algorithmic retrieval; some tools are integrated with scholarly APIs
When are they useful?	Helpful when you need to: • build advanced searches • limit to a particular discipline or content type • use filters to narrow search results	Helpful when doing exploratory background research • Open access digital collections can provide primary and secondary sources	Helpful when doing exploratory background research • Keyword expansion • Summarizing or explaining difficult concepts
Are they free?	Usually accessible only through library websites based on subscription	Free for anyone to search but content may not be freely accessible	Many AI tools have a free and paid version

This table is from " AI Literacy for Students " by Lori Looney and is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.