
How IWB Uses genAI (Part 1: Tool Options)
7/2/2025 7:30 am
[Terminology note: artificial intelligence (AI) includes a broad range of models and tools that are used in various ways for science and everyday life. The focus of this blog is generative AI tools, specifically large language models and related algorithms. For simplicity, we use "AI" throughout this blog to refer to these generative AI tools.]
As generative AI products become more ubiquitous, many biomechanists may be wondering how to implement these tools in ethical, productive ways to enhance – but not replace – our research and teaching capabilities. During the March monthly meeting, we discussed how IWB members use AI in their work, and talked through suggestions and concerns for implementing these tools into our everyday lives. Because of the ever-changing nature of this field, more information and new models have been released since our meeting. This blog series will summarize and update the information from the monthly meeting and hopefully serve as a guide to using AI productively and responsibly.
The focus of the first entry is a survey of the different tools that IWB members use and their best/worst use cases.
TOOL |
ADVANTAGES / BEST USES |
CONS / STRUGGLES WITH |
ChatGPT (OpenAI) |
· Relatively ubiquitous use, familiar interface · Natural-sounding language output · Engaging in natural language conversations · Answering questions · Providing creative writing assistance
|
· Frequently produces biased responses due to training data · Most current version (ChatGPT 4o) takes information only from October 2023 and earlier · Should not be used with any protected information · Understanding complex contexts · Detecting sarcasm and humor · Generating long-form structured content · Newest models have increased hallucinations |
Copilot (Microsoft) |
· HIPAA-compliant if used through specific university contract (double check yours!) · Streamlines communication channels if already using Microsoft products · Automating routine tasks · Providing intelligent suggestions (especially within Office/Microsoft 365 apps) · Analyzing data with protected healthcare information |
· Limited customization options · Cannot upload documents outside of Sharepoint |
Gemini (Google) |
· Processing large volumes of text/code · Using in conjunction with other Google products · Faster than other models · Some models (i.e., Gemma 3) are open-source · Robust support |
· Lower benchmark performances than competitors · Dependence on Google Cloud infrastructure (no offline capabilities) · Poorer performance outside of English · Less intuitive to use effectively |
Grok (xAI) |
· Very conversational style · Trend monitoring · Highly up-to-date |
· Real-time nature can cause misinformation |
Coral AI |
· Summarizing long documents · Finding information quickly · Providing citations from uploaded files · Multilingual support · Audio transcription abilities |
· Limited customization of summaries · Restrictions on document uploads in the free tier · Challenges with data quality and consistency |
Claude (Anthropic) |
· Particularly good for coding · Focus on safety and reliability · Designed for long-form content and complex tasks
|
· Daily message limits and usage restrictions · Limited contextual nuance / poor performance in niche domains · Sensitivity towards safety may be limiting to outputs in some situations |
Nouswise |
· Enhancing research efficiency by providing accurate, fact-checked answers/managing large amounts of data |
· Limited file size uploads in free plan · Occasional issues with data reliability |
STORM (Stanford) |
· Generating comprehensive, Wikipedia-style articles |
· Potential to generate inaccurate content |
Research Rabbit |
· Discovering and organizing academic papers · Visualizing author networks · Providing tailored research recommendations · Collaboration features – mimics the way researchers naturally work · Integrates with Zotero |
· Limited depth in some domains · Potential for missing key papers · Reliance on quality of available data · Focus on journal articles and de-emphasizes books and grey literature · Does not always catch if researchers changed names (particular downside for increasing visibility of female authors) |
Connected Papers |
· Creates visual maps of how papers are related · Finds foundational and recent studies · Simple interface |
· Some features are for paid plans only · May be difficult to interpret large maps · |
Consensus AI |
· May be particularly effective for drafting literature reviews Cites credible sources from peer-reviewed sources · |
· May not cover all fields · May require time to learn to use effectively · Limited free features · Answers may not be reproducible |
Goblin.Tools |
· Simplifying complex tasks · Providing step-by-step guidance · Supporting managing daily activities · Intuitive interface · Collaboration tools · Highly customizable · Integration with calendar view |
· Accuracy of AI-generated steps is variable · Solutions might not always be the most efficient (user judgment is important) · May lead to excessive notifications, which could be distracting · Limited offline access |
AI Tutor Pro |
· Tailors instructions to user needs · Gamification elements keep learners engaged |
· Some features are for paid plans only · Limited chances for collaborative learning |
Notebook LM |
· Condenses lengthy notes into key points · Organizes notes meaningfully · Integrates with other google services |
· Only uses uploaded sources, which may limit scope |
Which AI models are our members using? And how did our discussion at the meeting change their minds or give them new suggestions?
I was primarily using ChatGPT for work tasks, but over the course of the meeting, I learned about many more AI tools and how fellow IWB members use them. There are some AI tools that I'd love to look into more, like https://www.aitutorpro.ca/, and https://notebooklm.google/ - Ana Ebrahimi
I use Connected Papers to find relevant research papers, which helps me stay up to date with the literature. Another useful AI tool I’ve come across is STORM (https://storm.genie.stanford.edu/), which assists with writing scientific articles. – Asal Aflatounian
I tend to use ChatGPT for all my AI-related tasks. Just due to ease of use. I for sure think others that were discussed in the meeting would be better than ChatGPT, too. – Erin Lally
I think these tools can definitely be useful. I have had some success getting help with coding. Even though the code ChatGPT provided for me didn't work even after some follow up prompts, it did point me in the right direction, and I was able to get something working when I hadn't had any success finding a solution through google. - Anonymous
Authors
Julia Dunn, Ph.D. (she/her) (University of Denver)
Hannah Dimmick, Ph.D. (she/her) (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus)