WeChat Reading, AI is online late at night

WeChat Reading has previously updated a book translation function, making it possible to read original books directly. Now it has updated AI+reading+public account articles late at night, and the effect is even more explosive. What imagination space does this AI book-asking function have? Let's take a look at the author's interpretation.

Do you usually read e-books?

I think most people are similar to me. When I see my peers or big names recommending a good book, I will quickly go to the platform I am familiar with to see if there is an electronic version. Once I find it, I will either download it or add it to my bookshelf and read it later.

But let’s be honest, do we really have the time to finish a book? The probability is very small.

Even if you find time to read, it will take a long time to finish a thick e-book. Moreover, the content in the book is not all useful information, and sometimes you have to spend time sifting through the information.

So what should I do? I said that I used to use the search reading method.

For example:

Suppose I want to learn more about a question, such as "Consumer Uncertainty". First, I will write down the question, and when I have time, I will open my computer and enter the keywords in the search engine to see many related studies.

However, I still want to know about the concept of consumer psychology, which top scholars have studied it before? Is there a consensus among scholars? Where can I find it?

At this time, I would use WeChat Reading and enter "consumer psychology" in the search box. The system would then display multiple books that cover this topic and point out which chapters, paragraphs, and sentences mention it.

This is Sodu. Sodu is very useful for people who do research. However, there is a problem with this: WeChat Reading still presents a lot of content, and it takes time to filter it. Is there a faster way to solve it? Of course.

Yesterday, WeChat Reading was quietly updated and a new feature was introduced: AI Book Questions.

1. What is AI Questioning?

To put it simply: WeChat Reading has added an AI search assistant that can find the answers you want in a large number of books; you just need to ask questions or enter search content, and it will automatically reply to you.

A month ago, this feature was tested in grayscale. Some friends around me tried it and thought it was dead. Unexpectedly, it was launched in the past two days. It is not yet available on the PC version. If you want to experience it on your mobile phone, just update the WeChat Reading version to 8.2.0.

How do you use WeChat Reading AI to ask questions about books? What is its use? Don't worry, I will explain them one by one.

Remember two thoughts first:

1. Book drive
2. Problem-driven

For the former, first, open the WeChat Reading APP and find the book you want to read, such as "The Poor Charlie's Almanack". Then, click in to read. Next to the table of contents on the left, there is an AI outline. It will help you organize all the underlined and useful parts of the book based on the outline.

I tested it and it's not perfect, but it's quite helpful for reading a book quickly.

If you want to read a certain paragraph, just click to jump. When reading, if you encounter some different words or complex concepts, just long press the word or sentence, and the system will pop up a menu. You can select "AI Ask Book" in the menu, and AI will quickly give you a detailed analysis and explanation of the system.

(1: Long press the word, the menu pops up and AI asks questions)

I think this function is very similar to Feishu’s corporate encyclopedia and is quite practical.

Did you know?

In the past, when I encountered a term or concept I didn’t understand while reading, I would search on Baidu or Toutiao. I had to switch screens every time. Sometimes, during the search, I would see other interesting content and be easily distracted.

Now, you can solve the problem directly in WeChat Reading. If you don’t understand something, just long press and search to get the answer.

When I get the answer and want to understand a question more deeply, I just need to click on the link to jump directly to the specific content page of the relevant book, which makes it convenient for me to further explore and learn knowledge.

It is much more convenient. This function kills three birds with one stone. First, it guarantees my flow moment; second, it gives accurate answers; third, it links other books in the ecosystem. This is book-driven. Simply put, it is centered around a book and uses AI to ask questions about the book.

2. So, how to do problem-driven approach?

You must have understood the literal meaning, that is, to find answers with questions.

After the update, the WeChat Reading APP does not have an "AI Ask Books" button by default. However, don't worry, you just need to ask questions in the usual search method.

For example:

I want to understand what the "Mirror Self Effect" means. I want to know its definition, development history, and which psychologists have proposed and discussed it. What should I do?

I just need to open the search box and type in the keyword "Mirror Self Effect". A "AI Ask Book" button will appear on the right side of the page. Click it and all the information about the definition of the concept, its impact, limitations, etc. will be listed.

(2: Enter keywords in the search box, and AI Question Book will appear in the menu bar)

The best part is, the answers are not only accurate, but incredibly convenient.

Isn’t it amazing? It can also automatically raise some questions to stimulate innovative thinking. These questions are generated by AI and can help me think and explore more deeply.

The design of this function seems to be inspired by the "thematic reading" in "How to Read a Book", but it is implemented in a smarter way. It is not only limited to one book, but can quickly summarize the contents of all related books in WeChat Reading.

When you encounter complex or diverse topics, you don’t have to flip through the books page by page to look them up yourself. AI Ask Book will do it for you and jump directly to the relevant chapters, making exploring topics easy and efficient.

Therefore, any questions I encountered while reading can be answered immediately, which greatly improved my reading coherence and depth. This is the problem-driven approach. Using AI with questions is really helpful.

Many people don’t know that WeChat Reading allows you to browse articles, and you only need to move the content you are interested in into or out of your bookshelf.

There is another "bad idea": I tested it yesterday. I uploaded the files and favorite public accounts on my computer to WeChat Reading through the PC, and used AI to ask about books. It can also be done.

This idea is a great combination. Imagine if I import all the articles about a certain type of research in batches and run AI on them, what results will I get? Isn't it amazing?

Therefore, regardless of whether it is "book-driven" or "question-driven", it has three functions:

1. answer the questions
2. Extension Problem
3. Explain the concept

Master the core and use it with ease . Think about what it can bring to you and in what scenarios will you use it?

When we get a new feature, there are always advantages and disadvantages. I think this disadvantage can be described in one word: flexible castrated version. You may ask, what does it mean? Why describe it like this? Flexible and castrated?

Yes.

On the one hand, when I search with questions, although AI Question can automatically recommend some light pipe questions to me, I cannot set these questions myself , which makes me feel that this function exists, but I cannot adjust it according to my needs, just like a part has been cut off.

On the other hand, the ecosystem is both a factor in one’s success and failure. The content in WeChat Reading is copyright-aware. It can only search for recommended answers based on the words I choose. It naturally cannot provide answers that are not in WeChat Reading.

for example:

I typed in "What is Cunningham's Law?" and it said there were no answers. And the answers to more complex, abstract questions were not good enough.

Therefore, there are certain limitations on content and search. Sometimes, the follow-up questions automatically generated by the system do not quite meet my needs.

I believe that the technology will become more and more perfect, and the WeChat team will also work hard to improve it. While maintaining the functional advantages, it will add more personalized settings to make AI book questions more flexible and diverse.

Although there are still some areas that need to be improved in AI Questioning, there is no doubt that it is a revolutionary new feature. Platforms like Get and Mita AI have already tried similar features, but WeChat can bring greater impact because of its massive content resources. It can definitely be described as small actions, big variables.

Do you know what technology is used behind AI Question Book?

It relies on a technology called "RAG" (Retrieval Enhanced Generation), which is part of Tencent's Hunyuan Assistant model. Sounds very high-tech, right? It's not difficult to understand.

Retrieval, as the name suggests, means searching, just like we look up things on the Internet; enhancement means that it is not just a simple search, but also adds more intelligence; generation gives the desired answer based on the searched information.

There is a lot of information on the Internet, and RAG technology is like a super smart librarian. For example, it helps you filter out false information, outdated information, and content from non-authoritative sources, so that every piece of information you see is reliable.

In addition, RAG has another benefit: traceability.

It not only keeps the information current, but also directly links to the latest information sources. For example, when you want to know the latest research or news, it can provide it immediately, making the answer more convincing and practical.

This technology makes language models not isolated. They can be closely integrated with the huge knowledge base to provide more accurate, fluent and rich answers, whether answering professional questions or completing professional writing tasks.

This is a breakthrough in cognitive ability.

To put it simply, imagine a person who used to study only by reading books. Now he can not only read books, but also search online and screen books. He can learn, search and digest at the same time. Isn't this a great cognitive upgrade? This is the breakthrough of RAG technology.

Okay, I've said a bit too much.

However, the "AI Ask Books" function of WeChat Reading is worth trying. In the AI ​​era, it is more important to be able to ask questions than to be able to solve them. Asking questions can stimulate thinking, challenge existing cognition and viewpoints, and continuously improve thinking ability.

In the process, we also exercise our skills in analyzing the nature of problems and exploring solutions to them. These skills may be the key to human progress and development.

Author: Wang Zhiyuan Source public account: Wang Zhiyuan (ID: Z201440)