Introducing the One Search AI Research Assistant

We’re excited to share that One Search now includes a powerful new feature: the One Search AI Research Assistant. This AI-enhanced tool transforms how you interact with library resources, helping you move from a general research idea to specific, scholarly materials—without needing to master complicated search techniques.

What it does

Let’s say you’re researching a question like “How important is sugar cane to the Queensland economy?” Instead of puzzling over keywords or Boolean operators, you simply type your question into One Search. The AI Research Assistant instantly gets to work, converting your natural language question into a sophisticated Boolean search query behind the scenes.

It then returns:

• Five highly relevant sources drawn from scholarly databases, journal articles, and ebooks.
• A synthesized overview of your topic, using abstracts and descriptions from the selected sources.
• Suggested follow-up questions to deepen your research, such as “How does sugar cane production influence employment in Queensland?”

It’s like having a research-savvy assistant built into your catalogue—available 24/7.

How it’s different from ChatGPT (and why that matters)

While ChatGPT and other generative AI tools can provide quick summaries or simulate conversation about a topic, they don’t access your library’s licensed content—and they often lack the transparency needed for academic research.

The One Search AI Research Assistant is different:

• Library-powered: It draws only from scholarly, reliable sources within One Search—no random websites or unverifiable blog posts.
• Transparent and source-linked: Every insight it generates is based on real library content you can cite, not opaque AI "hallucinations."
• Research-oriented: Designed specifically for academic exploration, not general conversation or entertainment.

In short: ChatGPT might help brainstorm ideas, but One Search Research Assistant helps you find credible sources and shape a structured research path.

A few things to note

• It does not include materials from the State Library’s local collections (John Oxley Library content and family history records).
• You’ll need to log in to One Search to use it—if you're not already a member, join online today.  This service is available to Queensland residents, due to eresource licence terms and conditions.

If you're curious about the technical side of how it all works, more information is available on our Catalogue Help page.

One Search AI Research Assistant is another step forward in making our collections more accessible, discoverable, and user-friendly. Whether you're a student, researcher, or just a curious mind, this new tool is here to make your research smarter and more efficient—from the very first question.

Give it a try next time you visit One Search—and see where your curiosity takes you.