About the AI Research Assistant

The AI Research Assistant is a new generative AI tool that you can use to search UM Libraries collections.  

It is useful for quick searches and gathering initial insights for your research topic. 

Because the AI Research Assistant only searches library collections, it is more reliable for academic research than open generative AI online.

Features

The AI Research Assistant (beta) includes the following functionality:

  • Provides a summarized response to research questions posed in everyday language.
  • Recommends up to five relevant publications from the Libraries’ collections.
  • Provides an option to “view more” and see your complete search results. 
  • Suggests additional question prompts to expand your research topic and explore further.
  • Supports multiple languages.

Note: Users must log in to use it.

Limitations

  • The AI Research Assistant is in beta, meaning it is currently being tested before full release.
  • The summaries created by the AI Research Assistant are generated from a maximum of only five publications it decides are relevant to your question.
  • The sources referenced by the AI Research Assistant exclude content from Elsevier, JSTOR, and newspapers. Print collections are also not included in the summaries it generates.
  • The majority of AI Research Assistant summaries come from abstracts and descriptions of sources rather than full text.
  • The AI Research Assistant may not generate results from the most current research available.

Using AI in research

  • Discuss with your professor or advisor the appropriate use of AI for your assignments.
  • Avoid academic misconduct by considering the limitations of AI tools and citing the articles you use. Check for accuracy and verify the responses against the source materials provided. Use the View more results tile to check the list of retrieved articles on Library Search.
  • Artificial intelligence tools can sometimes be at odds with citation justice by failing to fairly acknowledge the contributions of diverse scholars and communities.
  • Help

    This short video provides an overview of how to use the AI Research Assistant.

    For more information about using the AI Research Assistant, contact the Libraries.

    Data privacy and protection

    Your data is treated with utmost confidentiality. UM Libraries adheres to data privacy policies and regulations, ensuring secure handling of your information. 

Contact us

Libraries Administration
25 Chancellors Circle
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

204-474-9881