Consensus

Consensus AI is an AI-powered search engine designed specifically for academic and scientific research. It searches over 200 million peer-reviewed research papers and uses artificial intelligence to summarize, analyze, and synthesize findings from the literature. Unlike general chatbots, Consensus AI grounds every answer in real, citable research papers.

When you enter a question, Consensus AI searches its database of academic papers using a hybrid approach: semantic search (AI embeddings) and keyword search (BM25). It identifies the most relevant papers based on your query. AI models (including commercial models like OpenAI and fine-tuned open-source models) analyze the papers. Finally, Consensus AI generates a clear summary of the findings, including citations so you can trace each insight back to the original source.

You can ask Yes/No questions, for example, “Does intermittent fasting improve cognitive performance?” You can also ask Relationship questions, for example, “What is the impact of climate change on GDP?” Additionally, keywords, phrases, or natural language questions like “mindfulness and blood pressure” are accepted, as are specific paper titles or author names.

The main features of Consensus AI include Pro Analysis, which summarizes key findings from the top papers and provides a high-level synthesis with citations. It also offers a Consensus Meter, visualizing the level of agreement or disagreement in the literature for yes/no questions, and Advanced Search Filters, allowing you to refine your search by publication year, study methodology, field of study, and journal rank. Other features are Study Snapshot, which extracts key details like methodology, sample size, and outcomes from each paper; Ask Paper, where you can chat directly with the full text of a paper for in-depth answers; Research Hub, to upload and chat with PDFs of papers; and Threads, for asking follow-up questions within the same search while maintaining context for deeper exploration.

You should use keywords, phrases, or natural language questions for your search query. For yes/no questions, you will receive a Consensus Meter showing agreement or disagreement. You can also use conversational prompts to customize the output, such as “create a table,” “make a bulleted list,” or “explain it like I’m 6.”

Yes. Consensus AI does not use your search data to train its AI models, and it does not share your data with third parties. Search data is anonymized and kept private.

Consensus AI is primarily focused on academic and scientific topics. It may not provide answers to general interest or lifestyle questions.

To get started with Consensus AI, first go to the official Consensus AI website. Then, sign up for a free account or use an institutional license if available. Next, enter your research question or keywords in the search bar. Finally, view the summarized results, citations, and use advanced features as needed.

The limitations of Consensus AI include potentially missing newly published or highly niche papers. Additionally, the results are a snapshot of relevant research findings, not a final truth. Vague or overly broad questions may also produce less valuable results.

Consensus AI offers a free account with limited features, such as 25 “Pro Searches” per month. Additional features and higher usage limits may require a paid subscription or institutional access.

Yes, you can read, analyze, and save your results for later use.

Consensus AI’s database is built on the Semantic Scholar dataset, which includes over 200 million peer-reviewed documents.