Google Scholar, the largest and most comprehensive scholarly search engine, is facing competition from AI-powered search tools that offer improved search experiences and data download capabilities. Researchers are starting to use these new tools, which include ChatGPT, OpenAlex, and Undermind, to search, review, and summarize literature. Despite its size and deep entrenchment in the scientific community, Google Scholar may be vulnerable to being dethroned.
In the next 6 months, we expect to see more researchers adopting AI-powered search tools, such as ChatGPT and Undermind, to improve their search experiences and productivity.
Within the next year, we forecast that Google Scholar will introduce more AI-powered features, such as AI-generated article outlines and summaries, to stay competitive with emerging search tools.
In the next 5 years, we predict that AI-powered search tools will become the norm in the scientific community, with Google Scholar and other traditional search engines struggling to keep up with the changing landscape.
By the end of the decade, we expect to see a significant shift towards open-access research and data sharing, driven in part by the emergence of AI-powered search tools that make it easier for researchers to access and share knowledge.
