Perlego, a digital learning platform with a comprehensive catalogue of over 1 million books from a range of leading publishers, has launched a groundbreaking tool called 'AI Researcher.' This tool represents a significant leap forward in how students approach research and learning, leveraging proprietary AI technology to enhance the research experience while upholding academic integrity.
Why we created it
The idea for AI Researcher stemmed from a brainstorming session led by Perlego's Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Matt Davis, and Chief Product Officer, Cristina Palamini. The question they posed was: "How amazing would it be if you could ask a research question and get the most relevant extracts from our collection of over a million textbooks?"
This vision set in motion a nine-month research and experimentation project, during which Perlego's team worked tirelessly to develop a solution that could handle the technical complexities of processing such vast amounts of data. The result was AI Researcher, a tool designed to empower students and researchers to access targeted information from a diverse range of perspectives within Perlego's extensive library.
Enhancing the Research Experience
AI Researcher represents a departure from traditional semantic search methods, which rely on metadata like titles and synopses to connect users with relevant content. Instead, this tool employs AI technology to extract specific excerpts from books, allowing users to delve directly into the information they need. This approach not only saves time but also enables users to discover insights they might have otherwise missed.
Maintaining Academic Integrity
One of the key challenges in developing AI Researcher was ensuring that it adhered to academic standards and respected publishers' rights. Perlego's partnership with Higher Education institutions played a crucial role in shaping the tool's development, ensuring that it aligns with educational principles while benefiting learners and educators alike.
Perlego’s catalogue of over a million books comes from leading publishers in Higher Education, enabling AI Researcher to produce high quality results in the form of book extracts. Paired with Perlego’s instant citation feature, this becomes a powerful tool for research.
Gauthier Van Malderen, CEO and Founder of Perlego, emphasized the company's commitment to working closely with the educational community. He stated, "We'll continue to partner with the educational community to ensure we meet the needs of learners while upholding academic ideals."
A Win-Win for Publishers and Readers
Perlego's collaboration with publishers has been instrumental in expanding access to educational content while preventing piracy. Sue Hodgson, VP of Content at Perlego, highlighted the benefits of AI Researcher for publishers and readers alike. She emphasized that publishers' content has not been used to train models or generate new content, ensuring fair compensation for authors.
"I'm excited to see both our learners, educators, and publishing partners benefit from this new and innovative tool," Sue stated, underscoring the positive impact AI Researcher can have on the entire educational ecosystem.
Perlego is an online learning library that provides unlimited access to over 1 million books through a subscription model. Perlego uniquely works with both individual learners and educators, as well as over 200 Higher Education institutions and organizations globally.
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