Guide to Generative AI

SEARCH AI is a new tool in development at SBU Libraries to promote discoverability and access for library collections.

The tool is a natural language search interface that will translate your text into a Boolean search string across our print and digital collections. 

See these search results.

Currently you must toggle on the "Natural Language Search" within our SEARCH interface. This tool is currently in beta and will be developed further. 

Learn more about SEARCH AI.

A number of our database vendors have started to add AI tools to help guide and enhance your database searching. Many of these tools are in beta and will change over time so check the information from each vendor within the database for the most up-to-date functionality.

Natural Language Search

Our EBSCO databases now support natural language searching by default. You can type in your search as a question and the AI will translate it into a Boolean search string, adding in alternative keywords based on your terms. 

Example

"how does climate change affect farming in Asia?"

is translated as

((climate change OR global warming) AND (farming OR agriculture) AND Asia)

and returns these results (NetID required to access).

Things to note

• You can toggle off the natural language search option
  
• You have to click on "show refined query" to see the search string that the AI creates
• Experiment with your natural language question for better results. Overly-specific or complex questions may yield no results 

Research Assistant

This AI tool will currently only appear in our Dissertations & Theses database from ProQuest. You will see it show up once you select a dissertation.

This tool provides:

Key Takeaway

• a brief "key takeaway" synopsis of the dissertation
• additional topics discussed in the work
• a brief "Relationship to your search terms" statement

Brainstorm Related Research Topics

• suggests a number of topic areas and descriptions

Important Concepts

• a number words and phrases with definitions
• links that will search each word or phrase in the database

AI-Assisted Search

This function will appear after a search is completed. 

It lists a number of AI-generated search terms that you can add to your existing search. Click on the "plus" sign next to each phrase to add it to your search.

When you enable Smart Search from the top of the main screen, you enable the following:

• natural language searching. AI will interpret your search terms and translate them into a Boolean search string
• personalized suggestions based on your current and saved search history (if logged in)

AI Search Assistant

• Pop up window for entering in natural language query
• The Assistant will generate a URL with search results for you to click on
• Searches word entries including etymologies, derivations, language of origin, and earliest known usage
• Also searches information about the OED from their help pages
• Sample searches:
  • "words coined in the 1970s"
  • "What works first appeared in works by Milton?"
  • "How often do words get added to the OED?"

Ask Chron

The Chronicle of Higher Education developed a chatbot that answers questions based on content published in the Chronicle. 

• requires that you log in first (you can create an account through the Libraries subscription)
• allows for natural language searching 
• provides a "show sources" link