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Artificial intelligence (AI) is often used as a way to summarize data and enhance writing, but AI tools are also powerful and efficient ways to analyze large amounts of text and look for patterns, and they can help develop research deliverables that can be shared widely.
With that in mind, we, as social science researchers, developed a new database of AI tools for our field. In the database, we compiled information about each tool and documented whether it is useful for literature review, data collection and analysis, and research dissemination. We also provided information about each tool’s cost, login, and plugin extensions.
When asked about their perceptions of AI, many social scientists express caution and anxiety: In a survey of faculty and students at more than 600 institutions, only 22% of university faculty said they regularly use AI tools.
From sifting through long transcripts and text-based data to creating literature reviews and sharing results, we believe AI can help social science researchers in psychology, sociology, communication studies, and other fields make the most of their data and present it to a wider audience.
Analyze text using AI
Qualitative research often involves skimming through transcripts and written word to identify themes and patterns. This type of research is powerful, but it is also labor-intensive. The power of AI platforms to sift through large datasets not only saves researchers time, but also helps analyze data that previously couldn’t be analyzed due to the size of the dataset.
Specifically, AI can assist social scientists by identifying potential themes or common topics in large volumes of text-based data that scientists can explore using qualitative research methods. For example, AI can analyze 15 million social media posts to identify themes in how people have responded to COVID-19. These themes can provide researchers with insight into larger trends in the data and refine the criteria for more in-depth qualitative analysis.
AI tools can also be used to adapt the language in study designs and scientists’ choice of words. In particular, AI can improve the wording of survey questions or refine keywords used in social media data collection to reduce bias.
Identify knowledge gaps
Another important task in research is scanning past work in the field to identify gaps in knowledge, and AI applications are building on systems that can synthesize text, making the literature review (the section of a research paper that summarizes other work on the same topic) and writing process more efficient.
Research has shown that human feedback to AI, such as providing examples of simple logic, can significantly improve the tool’s ability to perform complex reasoning. With this in mind, you can continually revise your instructions to your AI to improve its ability to pull out relevant literature.
However, social scientists need to be wary of fake sources, which is a major concern for generative AI. It is essential to ensure that the sources provided by AI tools come from peer-reviewed journals.
Share your findings
AI tools can help with writing blogs, creating infographics, and creating presentation slides and images to quickly summarize research findings in an easy-to-read format.
Our database also includes AI tools that help scientists present their findings on social media. One notable tool is BlogTweet. This free AI tool allows users to copy and paste text from articles like this one to generate tweet threads to start conversations.
Beware of the cost of AI tools
Two-thirds of the tools in the database are paid. Although our primary goal was to identify the most useful tools for social scientists, we also identified open-source tools and compiled a list of 85 free tools that can support your literature review, writing, data collection, analysis, and visualization efforts.
Our analysis of the cost of AI tools also found that many tools offer “freemium” access, meaning you can try out a free version of the product. More advanced versions of the tool are available by purchasing tokens or subscription plans.
Some tools have somewhat hidden or unexpected costs – for example, a tool that appears open source on the surface may actually have rate limits that limit the number of times a user can ask the AI for free.
The Future of Databases
Since its launch on October 5, 2023, the Artificial Intelligence Applications for Social Science Research Database has been downloaded more than 400 times in 49 countries. In the database, we found 131 AI tools that help with literature review, summarizing, and writing; 146 AI tools that help with data collection and analysis; and 108 AI tools that help with research dissemination.
As we continue to update the database, we hope it will help the academic community explore AI and spark new conversations. The more social scientists use this database, the more we can work toward a consensus on adopting an ethical approach to the use of AI in research and analysis.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization providing facts and analysis to help you make sense of a complex world.
Author: Megan Stubbs Richardson Mississippi State UniversityDevon Brenner, Mississippi State UniversityLauren Etheridge, Mississippi State UniversityMackenzie Paul, Baylor University.
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The authors do not work for, consult, own stock in, or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointments.
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