How are researchers using AI? Survey reveals pros and cons for science
February 4, 2025

(Nature) – Despite strong interest in using artificial intelligence to make research faster, easier and more accessible, researchers say they need more support to navigate its possibilities.
The survey asked researchers how they are currently using generative AI tools — which include chatbots such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek — as well as how they feel about various potential applications of the technology. The results suggest that the majority of researchers see AI becoming central for scientific research and publishing (see ‘Acceptable use’). More than half of the respondents think that AI currently outperforms humans at more than 20 of the tasks given as example use cases, including reviewing large sets of papers, summarizing research findings, detecting errors in writing, checking for plagiarism and organizing citations. More half of the survey participants expect AI to become mainstream in 34 out of 43 use cases in the next two years. (Read More)