New feature (v36): Smart Search Synopsis
Smart Synopsis helps you find quick answers to your question with an AI-generated synthesis of the most relevant Logos resources in Smart Search. Unlike ChatGPT or Google, Smart Synopsis includes footnotes to Logos books, so you can easily check its accuracy.
Smart Synopsis requires an active subscription for Logos Premium or higher, and is available in software version 36.0 or above on all platforms.
FAQs
1. Why am I seeing results from books I don't have a license for?
"All Search" always searches every book available in the Logos catalog, in an attempt to provide the most-relevant possible information. If you prefer to search only your books, please use Smart Search in the Books search tab.
2. How can I get a Synopsis from only some of my books?
In Books search, set the books or collection you want search, and make sure that Smart Search is selected as the search engine.
3. Does Smart Synopsis cost anything?
Smart Synopsis is included at no additional cost for all subscribers to Logos Premium or higher. Using Smart Synopsis deducts AI Credits from your monthly limit of AI feature usage.
4. Is it safe to use AI in Bible study?
Yes—with discernment. With Smart Synopsis, we've taken pains to select an AI model that accurately summarizes results from Logos books, provides a citation for each source, and openly lets you know when it can't find a good answer for your query. Read more about our AI philosophy.
KNOWN ISSUE
Citations for some encyclopedia article are not properly formatted, according to SBL Handbook of Style, Second Edition (but they do still link to the correct article). This has been fixed internally, and will ship in a later software version.
Comments
-
Try this search:
"What was the Jewish understanding of memra?"
It will give you the first century Jewish understanding of John's use of the Greek term "logos."
John 1:1-14 matches the rabbinic understanding of "memra" with the Greek term "logos,"
That is not by accident, but pleasantly by design.
Great feature for the desktop!
0 -
I have been using this feature in the web app, and I am really glad to see this come to the desktop. I became so used to it, that the standard Smart Search in the desktop app seemed so weak without it.
If these are the kinds of things we can expect on a more regular basis in this new business model, I say bring it on! It is nice to not have to wait two years for new features. It certainly makes Bible software exciting again.
0 -
Donovan R. Palmer said:
If these are the kinds of things we can expect on a more regular basis in this new business model, I say bring it on! It is nice to not have to wait two years for new features. It certainly makes Bible software exciting again.
I agree. At first, I gave AI things a chilly reception. But this kind of thing -- especially with the footnotes -- sounds like a great addition.
0 -
Adam, my synopsis using your question is way different. Is that to be expected?
0 -
Been using this for a few days now. I think this is it. This is the feature that convinced me on the Subscription model. Without Synopsis I was not impressed at all with "Smart Search" and was rather disappointed the first few times I tried it.
Now I get an excellent drill down
"Summary from all Logos resources" OR "Summary from what my resources say about the question"
Click through to the actual resource and read in more detail! (Or discover resources to buy on a topic).
Excellent! More of this please! You guys nailed it.
0 -
I would add though. If I could continue to ask followup questions like a chat bot. That would be excellent.
0 -
I am a Logos Max subscriber. And in the update that was made available yesterday, and has already been downloaded, the "Synopsis" of the AI research is not working. In all the tutorials I have seen on the internet, there is a summary with a kind of "footnote". However, since testing on the web platform and now in practice on the Desktop, it does not work for me. I have tried in Portuguese and in English. The only message that appears is "Something went wrong while generating the research synopsis. Try again". Can you help me? Thank you.
0 -
Don Awalt said:
Adam, my synopsis using your question is way different. Is that to be expected?
Yes and no.
Yes: It's expected, mostly because I re-used an older screenshot.
- We were using a different AI prompt at the time. We think we've got it pretty dialed in now, but if/when we tweak the prompt again, results for the same question could change over time.
- Some of top search results may be subtly different now. This could be because we have new books that answer the question better, or Smart Search ranking might be sorting them a little differently.
- Maybe most important: generative AI is always a little unpredictable. We prompt the AI to stay as close to the source material as possible, but there's always an element of variability.
No: It would be unexpected if you got very different results on multiple tries, or from other users at the same timeframe. Again, variability in wording isn't surprising, but the substance of the synopsis should be basically the same.
0 -
Thanks Adam, what I suspected. It stays identical on my system without checking word for word. And it makes sense that it could be different than yours.
Thanks again.
0 -
Thanks for adding this feature and adding the generative text. It was what we were asking for in the Surveys.
NOW MY SUGGESTIONS:
1. This AI should be able to interact beyond my resources. For example, if I ask: “Make a list of Adventist, Baptist, and Catholic resources on this topic,” the AI should do it. It should interact with my library and other Logos tools
2. In a large library (I have almost 28,000 resources) the AI needs to be more comprehensive in its search, it should consider the resources that I have prioritized in the Library, but it does not yet do so. It cites resources that are less important to me, having resources that I have prioritized as more important to me.
3. The AI cites few sources, it should not be restricted and its answers could be larger if I request it.
4. The AI's response should be able TO CONTINUE or DEBATE what I write to it... That would be fantastic!
0 -
Agenor Pereira Simões said:
I am a Logos Max subscriber. And in the update that was made available yesterday, and has already been downloaded, the "Synopsis" of the AI research is not working. In all the tutorials I have seen on the internet, there is a summary with a kind of "footnote". However, since testing on the web platform and now in practice on the Desktop, it does not work for me. I have tried in Portuguese and in English. The only message that appears is "Something went wrong while generating the research synopsis. Try again". Can you help me? Thank you.
Search Synopsis in Portuguese was fixed earlier today.
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
0 -
Good thoughts. I agree, that a continued ai response would be helpful. Then you would be able to get more information in responses.
1 -
That's fantastic for me! I've already had some annoyances with ChatGPT generating “invented” information, literally “ delusional”. When I tried to find what it said was in an author or even a specific book, it wasn't there at all.Adam Borries (Logos) said:Unlike ChatGPT or Google, Smart Synopsis includes footnotes to Logos books, so you can easily check its accuracy.
____________
"... And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Ne 8.10)
0 -
Adam Borries (Logos) said:
Smart Synopsis helps you find quick answers to your question with an AI-generated synthesis of the most relevant Logos resources in Smart Search. Unlike ChatGPT or Google, Smart Synopsis includes footnotes to Logos books, so you can easily check its accuracy.
This footnotes is plain awesome. This feature mimics what I try to do with a Clippings file when I am doing a Topic study. I arrange different sentences/paras from various resources in a coherent fashion and this tool seems to be doing it. It is not going to do the same job as me, but it is definitely a good start.
I believe in a Win-Win-Win God.
0 -
I've been exploring the new Smart Search Synopsis feature, and I'm thoroughly impressed. For years, I've struggled with making the vast amount of Biblical content in Logos truly accessible and engaging. The AI-powered solution Logos has implemented is a game-changer, and I'm excited to see where this technology will take us.
The seamless integration of AI-driven search capabilities has significantly enhanced my user experience. I'm confident that this level of functionality, combined with the revamped Factbook, among other system-wide improvements, will help users appreciate the value Logos brings to the table. As the subscription model continues to evolve, I predict a significant shift in sentiment, with more users embracing the benefits of the various tiers. I foresee exponential growth in user adoption as the full potential of these features is realized.
0 -
Adam Borries (Logos) said:
Smart Synopsis helps you find quick answers to your question with an AI-generated synthesis of the most relevant Logos resources in Smart Search. Unlike ChatGPT or Google, Smart Synopsis includes footnotes to Logos books, so you can easily check its accuracy.
I ran some tests yesterday and was impressed with the results. The combination of this tool in “books” plus a collection I created with the names of the “best authors” was fantastic!
I really wish the “all” smart search contained some filters so that we could narrow down the search across the thousands of books in the store. As we know, there are too many, and not all of them are of the same quality and each has its own theological line, etc.
If there was a way to segment by “best commentaries” (https://bestcommentaries.com), by theological line (Lutheran, Anglican, Reformed, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.), a list of authors we like... That would be research paradise!
____________
"... And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Ne 8.10)
0 -
I was initially skeptical about AI implementations, but this synopsis tool with links to relevant sources within the library is ingenious! Thank you so much! How many searches can I perform before running out of credits?
0 -
I've made a public collection of the best academic authors (from my perspective) and made it public for anyone to use and edit.Anderson Abreu said:The combination of this tool in “books” plus a collection I created with the names of the “best authors” was fantastic!
Link here: https://flshare.net/d96pr4 (By Best Academic Authors)
Another one here: https://flshare.net/o27mw9 (By Authors of Biblical Counseling)
____________
"... And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Ne 8.10)
0 -
Agree. But as said, "It certainly makes Bible software exciting again."
mm.
Lew Worthington said:Donovan R. Palmer said:If these are the kinds of things we can expect on a more regular basis in this new business model, I say bring it on! It is nice to not have to wait two years for new features. It certainly makes Bible software exciting again.
I agree. At first, I gave AI things a chilly reception. But this kind of thing -- especially with the footnotes -- sounds like a great addition.
0 -
Jonas Weisse said:
I was initially skeptical about AI implementations, but this synopsis tool with links to relevant sources within the library is ingenious! Thank you so much! How many searches can I perform before running out of credits?
AI credits are used in several places in the app, and all uses of AI come from the same pool of credits. Different features use different amounts of credits, and because Smart Synopsis is one of the more advanced features, it uses more credits than most. It also uses two sets of credits, one for Smart Search and another for Smart Synopsis.
We adjust credit usage from time to time as we improve our services and as the costs of AI change. Until now, these changes have resulted in us giving more usage, not less, because the cost of using AI has fallen over time. Because we make these adjustments fairly frequently and at any time, keeping a public table with the exact details up to date is difficult.
But I can tell you that today, if you used no other AI features besides smart search and smart synopsis, you could use them between about 85 and 213 times per month, depending on which subscription tier you have.
Most other AI features could be used at least a thousand times a month before hitting your credit limit. (Sermon Outlines is the other exception to that.)
If you stumble across this post several months from now, these numbers will likely have changed, perhaps substantially.
0 -
Mark Barnes (Logos) said:
We adjust credit usage from time to time as we improve our services and as the costs of AI change.
Mark,
I am a big fan of all the new features, especially the AI. I think the missing link is the ability to self-manage our use of AI features by being able to see the rate of our AI consumption. It would be equally difficult to manage the use of my car if it only indicated when I had used 80% of available fuel. I already passed the 80% barrier, and, from what you say, it was the Synopsis feature that got me there. I appreciate all your good work.
👁️ 👁️
0 -
Mark Barnes (Logos) said:Jonas Weisse said:
I was initially skeptical about AI implementations, but this synopsis tool with links to relevant sources within the library is ingenious! Thank you so much! How many searches can I perform before running out of credits?
AI credits are used in several places in the app, and all uses of AI come from the same pool of credits. Different features use different amounts of credits, and because Smart Synopsis is one of the more advanced features, it uses more credits than most. It also uses two sets of credits, one for Smart Search and another for Smart Synopsis.
We adjust credit usage from time to time as we improve our services and as the costs of AI change. Until now, these changes have resulted in us giving more usage, not less, because the cost of using AI has fallen over time. Because we make these adjustments fairly frequently and at any time, keeping a public table with the exact details up to date is difficult.
But I can tell you that today, if you used no other AI features besides smart search and smart synopsis, you could use them between about 85 and 213 times per month, depending on which subscription tier you have.
Most other AI features could be used at least a thousand times a month before hitting your credit limit. (Sermon Outlines is the other exception to that.)
If you stumble across this post several months from now, these numbers will likely have changed, perhaps substantially.
Maybe a dumb suggestion, but have you ever considered putting a credit counter in the app somewhere? I don't use AI that much so I've never been worried about it but this question gets asked a lot. I would think putting a card on the desktop with "You Have X AI Credits Left" would go a long way for some. It might cause angst in others though...
0 -
Antony Brennan said:
I am a big fan of all the new features, especially the AI. I think the missing link is the ability to self-manage our use of AI features by being able to see the rate of our AI consumption. It would be equally difficult to manage the use of my car if it only indicated when I had used 80% of available fuel. I already passed the 80% barrier, and, from what you say, it was the Synopsis feature that got me there. I appreciate all your good work.
Thanks, Antony. Now that you can see the 80% indicator, do you think it would be distracting for that to be there all the time? Or would it be best to always show current usage in Help/About, and only show it in the main nav when it was above 80%?
0 -
Mark Barnes (Logos) said:
Thanks, Antony. Now that you can see the 80% indicator, do you think it would be distracting for that to be there all the time? Or would it be best to always show current usage in Help/About, and only show it in the main nav when it was above 80%?
I think the way that it shows up currently is pretty discrete and not in the way of anything. I would be happy with it staying that way but showing the continued usage. It is consistent with many other 'closing the ring' features on productivity and health apps. Being able to see the general position of the ring gives an effective way to know where you are up to. I like how you can hover over the icon and see the detail, or click on it and open the pop-up to see the numerical display along with the other update content. I have to wait till Friday for a reset 😩 I really love that Synopsis feature. It's capable of a lot more than meets the eye. Amongst other things I was able to get it to write a song about Jonah in the style of Bob Dylan's Hurricane. Thats how I ran out of fuel.
👁️ 👁️
0 -
Mark Barnes (Logos) said:Antony Brennan said:
I am a big fan of all the new features, especially the AI. I think the missing link is the ability to self-manage our use of AI features by being able to see the rate of our AI consumption. It would be equally difficult to manage the use of my car if it only indicated when I had used 80% of available fuel. I already passed the 80% barrier, and, from what you say, it was the Synopsis feature that got me there. I appreciate all your good work.
Thanks, Antony. Now that you can see the 80% indicator, do you think it would be distracting for that to be there all the time? Or would it be best to always show current usage in Help/About, and only show it in the main nav when it was above 80%?
I would like to see where I am at all times on credit usage. Hiding it in help is fine though I still think a card on the dashboard would be great too.
0 -
Antony Brennan said:Mark Barnes (Logos) said:
Thanks, Antony. Now that you can see the 80% indicator, do you think it would be distracting for that to be there all the time? Or would it be best to always show current usage in Help/About, and only show it in the main nav when it was above 80%?
I think the way that it shows up currently is pretty discrete and not in the way of anything. I would be happy with it staying that way but showing the continued usage. It is consistent with many other 'closing the ring' features on productivity and health apps. Being able to see the general position of the ring gives an effective way to know where you are up to. I like how you can hover over the icon and see the detail, or click on it and open the pop-up to see the numerical display along with the other update content. I have to wait till Friday for a reset 😩 I really love that Synopsis feature. It's capable of a lot more than meets the eye. Amongst other things I was able to get it to write a song about Jonah in the style of Bob Dylan's Hurricane. Thats how I ran out of fuel.
People have anxiety about using up their AI credits. How to attenuate this anxiety? I would like to use an analogy to drive home my point.
Some electric vehicle owners have range anxiety – they don’t know if their battery power will be sufficient to make the trip. To solve this problem, if you type in the destination, the computer will tell you how much battery life you have now and how much battery will be left at destination. [If not enough battery power is there, it will also tell where to stop for charging and how much time to spend recharging your battery.] This takes away anxiety completely. I learnt that battery usage goes up dramatically during winter months compared to summer months. I was planning to go for 4 hours before pit stop and I learnt that I need to recharge before that! Similarly, I want to be able to know the AI credits that I will use up BEFORE I submit a query/search/enquiry/tool that uses AI credits.
To attenuate people’s anxiety about using AI credits:
(i) Please have a counter that tells us much credits we have at any point in time – a suggestion that many people have made already.
(ii) Please, as with the electric vehicle analogy, tell us how much credits will be used up if we execute a query/search/enquiry/tool that requires using AI credits, ideally BEFORE we submit the query. This will enable us to drop the query if it uses too much. This is like me changing my planned drive because I didn’t want the battery to die on me.
(iii) At the minimum, please tell us how much credits AFTER we execute the query so that we learn which enquiries use up more or less of the AI credits.
The above requests are not hard to implement because you all have this information. Because that is why you are able to tell us when we hit the 80% threshold. I am saying the above from customer’s perspective.
Now let me switch to Logos’s perspective….It is more profitable for Logos if people don’t use the credit 100% because you pocket the profit. So you have on incentive to reveal that information.
Logos has to decide what to do.
I believe in a Win-Win-Win God.
0 -
Mark Barnes (Logos) said:
We adjust credit usage from time to time as we improve our services and as the costs of AI change. Until now, these changes have resulted in us giving more usage, not less, because the cost of using AI has fallen over time. Because we make these adjustments fairly frequently and at any time, keeping a public table with the exact details up to date is difficult.
That's great. Nobody will be complaining when they see their AI credits going up when they wake up in the morning. I don't see why this reason should prevent Logos from revealing our available AI credits at every point in time.
I believe in a Win-Win-Win God.
0 -
Mark Barnes (Logos) said:
AI credits are used in several places in the app, and all uses of AI come from the same pool of credits. Different features use different amounts of credits, and because Smart Synopsis is one of the more advanced features, it uses more credits than most. It also uses two sets of credits, one for Smart Search and another for Smart Synopsis.
I'm curious whether Smart Synopsis is still happening in the background if the card is closed.
0 -
Yasmin Stephen said:
I'm curious whether Smart Synopsis is still happening in the background if the card is closed.
It does not. Smart Synopsis uses credits only when the synopsis is generated and displayed. The Smart Synopsis card also stays closed when you close it, to prevent unnecessary credit usage when you don't want it.
0 -
Adam Borries (Logos) said:
It does not. Smart Synopsis uses credits only when the synopsis is generated and displayed. The Smart Synopsis card also stays closed when you close it, to prevent unnecessary credit usage when you don't want it.
Thanks for the confirmation.
0
