Time for a bit o’ brutal honesty: Whenever I hear about a new search tool or info-surfacing service, my first reaction is to proactively cringe a little—and then set my skepticism guard to its highest possible setting.
Surely you’ve had this same sort of response by now, too—right? Since the start of this whole generative-AI explosion, we’ve seen an endless parade of apps touting themselves as The Future of Search™.
And with very rare exception, more or less all of ’em share the same fatal flaw: They just aren’t reliable. They serve up inaccurate info, with a shocking amount of confidence to accompany it. It’s as true for the high-profile AI search tools by companies like Google and Microsoft as it is for the creations from small, scrappy startups.
Today’s tool is one of those rare exceptions. It’s an AI-powered search app that’s extremely specific in its purpose and the type of info it provides. In fact—no exaggeration—it might just be the most reliable, fact-driven search service you’ve ever encountered.
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AI-powered search, with a twist
So here’s the deal: The problem with most generative AI search services, at the simplest possible level, is that they have no idea what they’re even telling you.
By their very nature, the systems that power services like ChatGPT and Gemini simply look at patterns in language without understanding the actual context. And since they include all sorts of random internet rubbish within their source materials, you never know if or how much you can actually trust the info they give you.
➜ The tool I want to introduce you to today is designed to be the antidote to all that uncertainty.
It’s called Consensus, and it’s an AI-powered search engine that relies entirely on published scientific research as its source.
⌚ It’ll take you 20 seconds to figure out and start using:
- Just open up Consensus.app in any browser, on any device in front of you.
- Type any question into the search box on the center of its main screen. (If you want some ideas, check out the service’s sprawling lists of suggested queries. There are all sorts interesting possibilities here beyond what you might initially expect!)
- Either hit Enter or tap the search icon to get fact-based answers in a flash.
Consensus is all about providing evidence-based answers from scientific research.
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In the blink of an eye, Consensus will consult over 200 million scientific research papers and then serve up an ocean of answers for you—with clear context, citations, and even a simple “consensus meter” to show you how much the results vary (because here in the real world, not everything has a simple black-and-white answer!).
Instead of just making up info, Consensus shows you exactly how different reputable sources do—or don’t—agree.
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You can dig deeper into any individual result, too, with helpful features like summarized overviews as well as on-the-fly analyses of each cited study’s quality. Some questions will inevitably result in answers that are more complex than others, but the service does a decent job of trying to simplify as much as possible and put its info into plain English.
Consensus provides helpful context on the reliability of every report it mentions.
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And if you don’t have a specific question, you can also search Consensus for a general subject to see all sorts of research related to it.
As you’d imagine, Consensus won’t be the right tool for every possible search purpose. It isn’t gonna tell you where the next Right Said Fred concert is set to take place, for instance (though kudos for the dedication).
But when it comes to a specific sort of science-related, fact-driven inquiry—anything where extensive research could help provide a reliable answer—it’s a singular resource that stands out in an ever-rising sea of uncertainty.
- Consensus is completely web-based, as of now—no downloads or installations required.
- The core service is free with unlimited searching. A premium plan is also available for $9 a month with a variety of optional extras.
- The site doesn’t require any manner of personal info to operate. (After a few searches, it might prompt you to create an account and sign in. But in my experience, simply going back to its home page and starting over will get around this and let you keep going anonymously.)
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