OpenAI introduced Prism, a free AI‑powered LaTeX‑based workspace that helps scientists draft papers, generate citations, create diagrams and collaborate in real time. While the tool aims to reduce formatting burdens and accelerate research workflows, many researchers worry that its ease of use could overwhelm peer review with papers that lack substantive contribution, intensifying what publishers call “AI slop.” OpenAI’s vice president for Science highlighted the growing reliance on AI in hard‑science topics, but critics caution that the capacity to evaluate research has not kept pace with the new tool’s capabilities. Read more →

Perplexity, an AI‑driven research platform, lets users generate detailed reports by pulling from scholarly databases and reputable publications. Users can toggle between web and academic sources, download PDFs with hundreds of citations, and receive concise summaries that highlight key findings. Journalists, researchers, and students have found the tool saves hours of manual searching while still requiring verification of the linked sources. The free tier offers limited queries, while a paid option removes usage caps and provides deeper model access. Overall, Perplexity streamlines deep‑dive research while keeping the need for human fact‑checking intact. Read more →

Google is piloting Scholar Labs, an AI‑driven search system aimed at surfacing research papers based on full‑text analysis rather than traditional metrics such as citation counts or journal impact factors. The demo highlighted a query about brain‑computer interfaces, returning a recent review paper and explanations of why it matched the request. Google spokesperson Lisa Oguike said the approach is meant to surface useful studies that might be missed by conventional filters, while researchers like Matthew Schrag and James Smoliga noted the trade‑offs between AI recommendations and established quality signals. Read more →