How do I... - Tuesday 26 September 2023

Searching for information with AI (Part 2): conversational agents

(Part 1: recommendations and search engines)

Coming to the spotlight at the end of 2022 with the general public release of ChatGPT3.5, then 4 in spring 2023, conversational agents are tools based on the analysis of large corpora of documents and statistical probabilities for text generation (GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer). The term generative AI is used more generally, particularly for content other than text: computer code, mathematical formulas, images, videos, etc.

Given the tool's versatility in processing text, it can be used at "every stage of the intelligence process, from identifying needs, to sourcing, to analysis." For example, through semantic analysis, the tool can summarize one or more texts and extract the key ideas to ...

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How do I... - Friday 22 September 2023

Searching for information with AI (Part 1): recommendations and search engines

The objective of this zoom is to communicate on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a very general way, and on some of the functionalities it already provides for information research.

Definition of A.I.

Here we use two definitions quoted in the article “Defining artificial intelligence for librarians” :

- the OECD definition : "Artificial intelligence (AI) is ‘a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments. AI systems are designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy’". (OECD, 2020).

- and the European Commission's definition, which is also very general : "Simply put, AI is a collection of technologies that combines data, algorithms and computing power". (European Commission, 2020: 2).

To go beyond these simple definitions, you can consult the following...

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How do I... - Friday 02 June 2023

Legal information research

This zoom is a reminder, for non-lawyers, of the main principles governing the law, and more specifically commercial law: where the law is written, how it is applied, how it is accessed... This zoom does not cover legal, administrative and financial information for companies, for which resources such as Infogreffe, Orbis and Diane can be consulted.

Let's take a concrete case of legal information research for the launch of a new product in the alternative health sector, herbal medicine, in two European countries simultaneously: France and Greece.

Broadly speaking, there are several branches of law, present in different geographical areas.

• International law: rules governing...

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How do I... - Monday 06 March 2023

Identifying Experts

Consulting an expert related to your research topic or your project is a relevant and necessary step. It allows you to benefit from a critical analysis or even advice concerning your approach or your recommendations.

However, this approach remains complex regarding the dilution of this notion in the media and social sphere: not a broadcast, not a debate without "expert" interventions, and social platforms such as LinkedIn are also echoing it.

For those who would like to solicit an expert, the challenge now is not to deal with the scarcity of profiles but rather to have the tools to identify the right one and thus separate the wheat from the chaff.

What is an expert?

A multidisciplinary notion / definition by practice

First, identifying an expert is being able to...

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How do I... - Saturday 04 March 2023

The search for academic experts

After defining expertise and the key points to consider when looking for an expert in the Highlight on the keys to expertise, we will now focus on academic experts.

 

Nuancing the notion of expertise

Originally simple holders of “targeted competences [...] whose recognized practice allows them to enlighten judges on controversial cases", experts have become professionalized with the developments of the industrial society to take on an autonomy which seems to place them above other citizens. To such an extent that it is now necessary not only to distinguish the criteria of expertise in order to know how to evaluate it, but also to limit the recourse to expertise in order to preserve the "democratic process". The objectives of this Highlight are...

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