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ASK Britannica answers your questions with information and insights from our wide-ranging collection of articles. For generations, knowledge-seekers have turned to Britannica for answers they can trust. ASK Britannica offers a new way to engage with Britannica content.

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Albert
Einstein

On Space-Time

In the 13th edition (1926) a wholly new topic, “Space-Time,” was discussed by the person most qualified in all the world to do so, Albert Einstein.

Marie
Curie

On Radium

Marie Curie, cowinner of the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics and winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, wrote the entry on radium with her daughter Irène Curie.

Neil
deGrasse Tyson

On Challenges of Bringing Science to the Public

In this essay American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson offers his personal reflections on the question of how to bring science down to Earth.

Indira
Gandhi

On Global Underprivileged

Published in the 1975 edition of the Britannica Book of the Year, the essay casts a critical eye on the closely related issues of poverty and globalization from the perspective of developing nations.

Alfred
Hitchcock

On Film

Hitchcock’s text offers insights on the different stages of filmmaking, the history of cinema, and the relation between a film’s technical and budgetary aspects and its fundamental purpose, telling stories through images.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; The Granger Collection, New York; Jim Grossmann/NASA; Richard Nixon Library/National Archives, Washington, D.C.; The Bettmann Archive
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presidents

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New! ASK Britannica...

Your Questions. Our Answers, Powered by AI.

About ASK Britannica
ASK Britannica answers your questions with information and insights from our wide-ranging collection of articles. For generations, knowledge-seekers have turned to Britannica for answers they can trust. ASK Britannica offers a new way to engage with Britannica content.

How It Works
ASK Britannica includes unique features to improve accuracy and relevance:
  • Safe Learning: Filters queries to maintain an educational focus and a secure learning environment.
  • Trusted Knowledge: Searches Britannica’s vast resources to answer each question.
  • Conversational: Understands natural queries better than keyword searches, delivering more relevant results.
  • Context Awareness: Maintains an understanding of multi-turn conversations, allowing for natural follow-up queries and clarifications.
  • Complete Responses: Provides answers with links to Britannica articles, related topics, and follow-up questions.
Britannica’s Approach to AI
We are committed to using technology responsibly, offering new ways to engage with our content. ASK Britannica is built to enhance rather than replace the educational process — to inspire curiosity and the joy of learning. We also understand that even ASK Britannica will make mistakes as the technology evolves. It is a complement to — not a substitute for — exploring Britannica’s enormous knowledge base. As always, please verify all information in Britannica articles.

FAQ's

ASK Britannica does not utilize or store personal information or student data. Each user’s interaction with ASK Britannica is independent and private. For information about Britannica’s compliance with data privacy laws and regulations, including those related to student data, such as FERPA, please refer to our Britannica Education Privacy Policy Notice.

Character limits help prevent misuse, such as copying entire essays or assignments. These limits encourage focused questions while maintaining academic integrity. The system is designed to respond to specific topic queries rather than to handle full documents or extensive text.
The system filters inappropriate content and questions outside its educational scope, including harmful content, personal information requests, or non-academic queries. The system will not write essays or complete assignments, and it is not intended to answer test questions. Because responses are limited to Britannica’s verified content, users stay within a curated educational environment that maintains academic integrity and student safety.

ASK Britannica draws from Britannica’s verified content, providing source links to relevant articles for independent verification by users. This verified content is also the basis for Britannica Education resources.

Although ASK Britannica uses verified sources, users should confirm information using the cited Britannica articles. Source links are provided in each response for verification and proper citation.
Students should cite both the ASK Britannica response and the original source articles contained within each response. Best practice is to always reference the primary Britannica articles for academic citations.
No, individual interactions remain private and are not monitored. However, institutions can choose to enable or disable the AI tool based on their educational and institutional preferences and policies.
ASK Britannica’s knowledge base is updated regularly to reflect new content and changes in Britannica articles, ensuring current and accurate information.
ASK Britannica is designed to provide information only from Britannica’s content. However, in cases where the AI misinterprets a question or experiences an error, it might inadvertently include information from non-Britannica sources. Such instances are unintentional and do not align with the system’s intended functionality. As a result, users are advised to verify any AI-generated responses using Britannica’s official published content.

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