Elsevier has announced a new AI tool called LeapSpace that will allow researchers to use LLMs that can access paywalled articles from Elsevier, Emerald, the Institute of Physics, the New England Journal of Medicine Group, and Sage publications. Other GenAI tools for scientific literature search typically only include open access resources, so this tool does do something that its rivals do not. LeapSpace, however, is pricey with individual subscriptions costing $32 per month, while there will be institutional subscriptions available, they are likely to be expensive for libraries in the sector that are already under financial pressure.
There has already been some backlash from researchers angry at the way that Elsevier has found yet another way to monetise research outputs and sell them back to researchers.