Table of contents
- Life Update
- Tools and Tips
- Readers’ Favorite
- Stuff
Life Update
It's been over 6 months since I came back from the US 🇺🇸.
Something shifts after reaching this milestone. The 6-month landmark.
My fellowship and our 2-plus years in the US now feel like a distant memory.
Yes, I still use what I learned there EVERY SINGLE DAY.
But it no longer feels new— it's become my second nature.
After 6 months, everything has settled into place.
Your home and office are organized, and you have a steady routine.
What's the next stage, you ask?
I plan to implement new things I learned abroad that don't yet exist here.
I'll keep you posted!
Today, we will discuss the use of deep research in AI.
This technology can make the life of a doctor or a scientist so much easier.
Number 138!
Let's dive in!
Tools and Tips
The AI revolution truly began when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the world.
Until then, no tool came close to ChatGPT's ease of use and efficiency.
I've been using AI since before ChatGPT's arrival and continue to use AI today.
But I NEVER fully trust the information it gives me.
I find myself fact-checking every detail it gives me.
And let me tell you— fact-checking takes an ENORMOUS amount of time.
The result?
I limited my AI use to occasional PDF summarizing, and never used it to review the literature.
But recently, something revolutionary happened in the AI world.
A new function was introduced.
It's called "Deep Research."
I've been using this function as a doctor and a scientist, and let me tell you— it's incredible!
Today, we'll explore what I've learned about deep research, which AI tools offer it, and how much it will cost you 💰.
🔵 What Is "Deep Research"
Deep Research is a new function that enhances AI’s analytical capabilities when answering your questions.
Unlike early ChatGPT, which was limited to training data from 2021, Deep Research ACTIVELY searches and synthesizes huge amounts of CURRENT information in minutes.
It gathers data from online sources and any files you upload to it.
Example:
Imagine you've completed an experiment and have read several manuscripts. And you want to compare your results with the existing literature.
Before AI, you'd spend HOURS browsing through PubMed keywords, reading countless (and irrelevant) abstracts and manuscripts until you found relevant research.
That was "deep research" the old way, and it took HOURS.
Did you learn during this process?
If you've done it enough, you know the answer is a a huge fat NO.
Real learning only begins AFTER finding the relevant information.
This is where AI’s Deep Research function comes in.
It searches FOR YOU. You just need to provide clear instructions.
What once took HOURS now takes MINUTES.
🔵 Can You Trust It?
I still double-check EVERYTHING.
I fact-check PubMed, and I fact-check AI
But fact-checking these two is different.
With PubMed, you have impact factors, author data, and p-values.
AI is different.
It can MAKE UP information. It’s called "AI hallucinations".
But with Deep Research, hallucinations occur less, and YOU CONTROL which sources it uses.
You can restrict it to ONLY use your uploaded files.
It also provides REFERENCES for its information.
All these features make it increasingly reliable as a research tool, and you can fact-check it just like you do in PubMed.
🔵 Which "Deep Research" Tools I Use (and How Much They Cost)
I use two Deep Research tools: Perplexity and ChatGPT.
ChatGPT's regular version costs $20 per month and limits Deep Research to 10 times monthly.
For doctors and scientists, that’s not enough. Sure, you can pay $200 a month (!) to get more deep research, but that’s WAY too expensive.
This is where Perplexity shines.
Perplexity offers HUNDREDS of Deep Research queries EVERY DAY.
And it performs great.
Cost?
They offer a 30-day trial for users with academic email addresses (containing "ac" or "edu"). After that, it costs $20 a month.
This gives you a month to explore Deep Research without commitment.
Give it a try! There’s a good chance it will revolutionize how you review literature and analyze your results. And it can save you HUNDREDS of hours.
Enjoy!
Readers’ Favorite
Wondering when to schedule a colonoscopy with your busy schedule?
And what about that dreaded "preparation" everyone talks about? 💩
Here, I wrote about what I learned after undergoing it myself.
Stuff
📱Application I use - OpenEvidence
A great tool for searching RELIABLE medical and scientific data using AI.
Epilogue
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That’s it for this issue.
See you next week!
Shay
Want to learn more from me?
Tip Sheets:
- My Workflow for Reading & Writing Manuscripts
- Future Fellows & Postdocs
- The PhD Journey
- How To Write an Abstract in 10 Minutes
- How to Study for the TOEFL
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- My Workflow for Reading & Writing Manuscripts
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How to Write an Abstract in 10 Minutes
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- How I Studied for the TOEFL
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What's in My Bag
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