Aside from politics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is sure to be another unavoidable topic brought up during any heated conversation. AI use is often debated, but it is an invaluable tool for overworked high school students. Despite the controversy surrounding its benefits for school and learning, students should learn how technology can improve their efficiency.

And before you ask, no - ChatGPT is not on this list. These resources may include sources you weren't aware of before. Of course, as times change and AI usage becomes further integrated into society, some of the higher-quality sources will get barred by paywalls. However, if you are looking to substantiate your learning - these are my personal favorites.

1.Elicit

Image by Peoplematters from Creative Commons

I first discovered Elicit when I was tasked with writing a 3,000 word history paper in under a month. At first, finding primary sources and research papers was near impossible because my research question was niche and relevant to a narrow time frame.

My history teacher then recommended Elicit – an AI that can summarize, extract data from, and chat with over 125 million papers. After putting keywords into its search bar, the tool's language model matches those words with peer-reviewed papers and writes a mock literature review about the top three sources.

Over two million researchers in academia use Elicit to conduct their historical or scientific research project, so I would recommend using their free database to save time.

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2. Claude.ai

Image from Creative Commons by IBLnews

Essays require many moving parts, from a captivating thesis statement to multiple supporting arguments that should flow in a cohesive progression. Many students struggle with improving their essay's tone or grammatical structure, and your teachers are not always available to review multiple drafts. Here is where Claude comes in; an efficient editor and analyzer, the chatbot was created by an established research firm.

Claude is regularly trained on recent information and can interpret documents with up to 75,000 words at a time! Besides interpreting documents or paraphrasing text to refine flow in essays, students cannot use the platform for creating images. The current version of Claude also cannot access Internet platforms. Even so, if you find yourself struggling to refine your writing or read through a passage written in unfamiliar jargon, taking advantage of Claude's free plan is one solution.

3. Otter.ai

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Otter is the ultimate note-taking and live transcribing tool I have used throughout my years in high school, both in class and as a journalism student. This tool allows users to transcribe live audio in real time, synthesizing recorded information into comprehensive notes for later use. Students can save hours using Otter to glean the main points from a lecture without having to pore over pages of notes or struggle to interpret a teacher's lesson.

By using otter, even virtual meetings can be recorded and meeting minutes will get sent out for all attendees with ease instead of delegating one team member for keeping track of an agenda. In addition, if you are taking a journalism class, Otter is perfect for recording your interviews or for converting audio files to podcast files. With a free account, students can record up to fifteen conversations each month, making this AI tool both practical and accessible.

4. Perplexity

Image from Creative Commons by Devtstory

Based on the image above, you may see some similarities to Chat-GPT's interface. Perplexity, however, is more nuanced and catered toward student needs. For example, Perplexity provides citations after every query for student research.

If you are interested in learning more about specific topics or want further preparation for an upcoming exam, Perplexity can summarize up-to-date information on almost any topic. The interface also has translation features so it can appeal to language learners, and it is well suited to Q&A responses. In using this tool, students will get tailored resources to improve their approach toward topics they may not understand in a classroom.

5. Scribe AI

Image from Flickr

Scribe is another tool you may not have heard of but is an incredible asset for group projects or entrepreneurial ambitions. Although the AI is used for building company presentations and pairing text with multiple processes, its ability to develop training guides, onboarding presentations, and workflow organizers can improve a student's overall time management.

While these sources open pathways to improved learning, even you – a high school student pressed for time, stressed about an overwhelming courseload, or managing a schedule packed with extracurricular activities – should not use AI to complete schoolwork. Technology is not a substitute for enriching problem-solving skills all students should aspire to build over time.

According to National University, 87% of teachers in the United States reported they did not receive adequate AI training during professional development classes. Bringing technology to the forefront of curriculum development is essential for engaging with a new generation of learners.