Interview

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to be the future of research productivity, with a focus on ‘extractive summarisation’ for time-saving benefits. SciencePOD’s ScioWire Widget, as explained by CEO Sabine Louët, utilises AI to provide structured research summaries in a customisable newsfeed format. This innovative tool offers ‘augmented insights’ for individual publications and enhances the attractiveness and impact of journals. The ScioWire beta system generates newsfeeds that condense complex studies into accessible, brief summaries, thus aiding scientists in deciding the relevance of full text studies.

What sets these summaries apart is the contextual layer they provide, offering main keywords, definitions of technical terms and the answers to key study questions. This, coupled with the extractive summarisation technique, preserves the research’s integrity and avoids AI-related ‘hallucinations’. The ScioWire beta Widget can be embedded in third-party websites, bringing customised research directly to the professionals who need it. Highly adjustable, it offers automated translations and the ability to create personalised feeds for users and organisations alike. As Louët affirms, the future of research summarisation is tied to advances in natural language processing and machine learning, with AI set to revolutionise research accessibility and impact.

Rémi Quirion, Quebec’s Chief Scientific Adviser, is advocating for more widespread scientific advice at the municipal level to better serve citizens during emergency situations such as pandemics and climate change-related disasters. He proposes creating scientist-in-residence positions and training programs for scientific advice in municipalities. With proximity being essential, having scientific advisers at the municipal level will help citizens better understand the steps they can take to mitigate environmental issues. Quirion’s work in creating a North American chapter of the International Network of Science Advisors to Governments (INGSA) is a significant step towards increasing the delivery of scientific advice to cities. Overall, Quirion’s approach is an innovative solution to better serve citizens during times of crisis.