This study scrutinizes free AI tools tailored for supporting literature review and analysis in academic research, emphasizing their response to direct inquiries. Through a targeted keyword search, we cataloged relevant AI tools and evaluated their output variation and source validity. Our results reveal a spectrum of response qualities, with some tools integrating non-academic sources and others depending on outdated information. Notably, most tools showed a lack of transparency in source selection. Our study highlights two key limitations: the exclusion of commercial AI tools and the focus solely on tools that accept direct research queries. This raises questions about the potential capabilities of paid tools and the efficacy of combining various AI tools for enhanced research outcomes. Future research should explore the integration of diverse AI tools, assess the impact of commercial tools, and investigate the algorithms behind response variability. This study contributes to a better understanding of AI’s role in academic research, emphasizing the importance of careful selection and critical evaluation of these tools in academic endeavors.