Julius
Julius AI
Published: March 24, 2026
Video Description
Illustrae: https://illustrae.co/
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Julius AI: https://julius.ai/?via=andrew-stapleton (ANDY20 — offers 20% off)
In my experience, one of the more difficult parts of academic work is not necessarily the research itself, but how that research is communicated visually. Many researchers, including myself, often rely on basic tools that were never designed for high-quality scientific illustration. This can make the process slow, repetitive, and sometimes frustrating, especially when trying to produce a clear graphical abstract that accurately represents complex ideas.
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Recently, I have been exploring a range of ai tools for research, and I have noticed that while many of them perform well for writing and summarising, they tend to struggle when it comes to visual outputs. This is where tools like illustrae ai begin to shift the conversation. It appears to offer a more structured approach to scientific illustration, where the system attempts to interpret not just the text, but the underlying meaning of the research.
What I find particularly interesting is how this changes the role of the researcher. Instead of manually constructing every element of a figure, I am able to focus more on describing what I want to communicate. The tool then generates visual components that can be refined and adjusted. This does not remove the need for critical thinking, but it does change where that effort is applied. In some ways, it feels less like design work and more like directing or guiding the output.
There are still limitations, and I think it is important to approach any ai tool for design with a degree of caution. Not every generated image will be accurate, and interpretation can vary depending on how the input is written. However, when used thoughtfully, tools like this may support faster iteration and experimentation, particularly when creating ai tools for infographics or preparing figures for presentations.
More broadly, this sits within a larger shift toward ai for research, where different tools are beginning to fill very specific gaps in the academic workflow. While no single tool does everything perfectly, combining them in a deliberate way may allow researchers to work more efficiently, especially when communicating complex ideas visually.
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▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:59 Brainstorm
01:55 Extracting from Papers
02:25 Canvas Elements
03:55 Playing with Elements
05:05 The Result
09:39 Using Shapes
11:08 Exporting
12:52 Photo Upload
13:30 Generated Image
14:43 Creating Posters
16:17 Upgrade Plans