Testing ScholarAI: When a Custom GPT Actually Works (But Also Really Wants You to Upgrade)

I tested the ScholarAI custom GPT to see if it lived up to the hype. I wanted to find out what it can really do.

Turns out, quite a bit. Also turns out, it really wants me to visit Jenni.ai.

What I Tested

I started by asking ScholarAI to explain its capabilities, particularly around finding peer-reviewed research. The responses were focused, it stayed in its lane, and acted like an actual research assistant instead of a chatbot pretending to be one.

Then I pushed it further and asked it to find recent papers on consumer data rights in AI models.

It delivered. No made-up citations. No vague summaries dressed up as facts. Just relevant papers with honest framing about what it could and couldn't tell me.

While the conclusions it drew about future pro-consumer policies related to data rights were more optimistic than mine, I was genuinely impressed by the output.

The Upsell Was Everywhere

Throughout this otherwise helpful conversation, ScholarAI kept suggesting I should head over to Jenni.ai to start writing.

Not once. Not twice. Multiple times.

The suggestions were polite, almost apologetic. But they were persistent. Every few exchanges, there'd be another gentle reminder that I could "take my research to the next level" on Jenni.ai, a platform that requires you to sign up and pay a subscription fee to actually use.

It wasn't annoying enough to make me quit. But it was noticeable enough to change how the interaction felt.

Why This Actually Matters

Despite the upselling, ScholarAI did what it promised. Unlike general-purpose AI that sometimes wings it when asked about research, this tool:

• Understood its specific domain
• Didn't hallucinate sources or draw imaginary conclusions
• Gave me exactly what I asked for
• Maintained clear boundaries about what it could verify

It functioned like a research assistant who actually knows their stuff, but also needs to hit a sales target.

What I'm Realizing About AI Tools

This experiment crystallized something I've been noticing across multiple platforms:

We're not just interacting with AI anymore. We're interacting with AI that has business models.

These tools aren't neutral interfaces, they're distribution channels. Some handle this better than others, but the incentive is always there, humming quietly in the background of otherwise helpful interactions.

The Bottom Line

If you need actual research citations, not ChatGPT's best guess at what a paper might say, ScholarAI works well.

Just expect that while it's helping you find papers on data privacy or climate policy, it'll also be steering you toward Jenni.ai's paid subscription.

For what it was built to do, it delivered. And honestly, that's rare enough that I'll take the sales pitch as part of the package.

Sometimes the best AI tools aren't the flashiest ones. They're the ones that quietly do what they claim, even if they're also quietly trying to convert you into a paying customer somewhere else.

Tools Used

Tool: ChatGPT [Scholar AI GPT] - Where to Find It: chat.openai.com - Cost: Free tier available; Plus subscription ($20/month) for enhanced features