2025科研之信：未来研究者报告 Researcher of the Future A Confidence in Research report

ResearcheroftheFuture

AConfidenceinResearchreport

Advancinghumanprogresstogether

Contents

Foreword3

Executivesummary4

Introduction9

Chapter1:

AIistransformingresearch11

AItoday:Currentuseandperceptions12

AIapplications,todayandtomorrow14

AIasadrivingforceforknowledge

generation16

EnablersofAIadoption—training,

governanceandtrust17

Chapter2:

Underpressurebut

upholdingintegrity18

Pressureonresearchersisincreasing19

Researchers’commitmenttoresearch

integrityisstrong21

Peerreviewisimperfectbutessential22

Whatdrivesconfidenceinresearch?23

Chapter3:

Waysofworking

areevolving24

Keeponmoving:Thecriticalroleof

collaborationandmobilityinresearch25

Collaborationremainsstrong26

Internationalmobilityisdynamic28

Chapter4:

Driveto

demonstrateimpact31

Externalimpactincentivespropel

engagement32

Theriseofresearchwithanimpact33

Measuringtheimpactofresearch36

Takingresearchtowideraudiences37

Supportingresearchersacross

challenges,disciplinesandgeographies41

OurresponsibleAIprinciples41

Appendices42

References44

3

Foreword

Researcherstodayaretacklingsomeoftheworld’smosturgentchallenges—fromclimatechangetoantibioticresistance—whilenavigatingthepressuresoffastexpandingvolumeofinformation,fundingchallenges,demonstratingimpact,andthefundamentalneedtosafeguardresearchintegrityandtrust.

Amidthesedemands,thetransformativepotentialofartificialintelligenceisreshapingeverystageoftheresearchprocess.Already,we’reseeing

breakthroughs:AIacceleratingdrug-targetdiscovery,improvingmedical

imaging,andstreamliningtheentireresearchjourneyfromliteraturereviewtopublication.Yettheseadvancesrepresentonlythebeginning.The

opportunitiesahead—forscience,innovationandsociety—areimmense.

AtElsevier,we’vepartneredwiththeresearchandhealthcarecommunitiesweserveforover140yearstoturntrustedinformationintomission-criticalinsights—supportingdiscovery,innovationandimpact.WecombinequalitycontentanddatawithadvancedtechnologyandAItohelpresearchers

findanswers,makeconfidentdecisionsandfocusonwhatmattersmost—advancinghumanprogress.

Thisreportreflectsthevoicesofmorethan3,000researchersworldwide.

Theirinsightsrevealresilience,collaborationacrossbordersandan

unwaveringcommitmenttointegrity,evenundergrowingpressure.TheyalsoshowoptimismabouthowAIcanacceleratediscovery—providedresearchershavetherightsupport,andtoolsthatarebuiltonquality,transparency

andtrust.

Theresearchenvironmentcontinuestoevolverapidly.Bylisteningto

researchers’experiencesandexpectations,wecanshapesolutionsthat

strengthenconfidence,fostercollaborationanddriveprogress—together.

OnbehalfofElsevier,Ithankallwhosharedtheirperspectives.Iinviteyou

toexplorethesefindingsandjoinusinimagining—andbuilding—thefutureofresearch.

JudyVerses

President,AcademicandGovernmentMarkets

4

Executivesummary

Theglobalresearchlandscapeisgoingthroughprofoundtransformation.

RapidadvancesinArtificialintelligence(AI),

biotechnology,quantumsystemsandotherfrontierfieldsareredefiningwhat’spossible,whileshiftingsocietal

priorities,economicpressuresandpolicydemandsarereshapinghowresearchisfunded,conductedandevaluated.

Inthiseraofacceleration,successwilldependonhow

effectivelyresearchersandinstitutionsembraceAI,fostercollaborationandbuildresilience.Theabilitytoadapt—whilemaintainingintegrityandpublictrust—willdefinethenextgenerationofscientificprogress.

Tobetterunderstandtheseshifts,Elsevierengages

regularlywithresearchersworldwidethrough

comprehensivesurveysthatcapturetheirexperiences,challengesandaspirations.Theirinsightsrevealnotonlyhowtheyfeelabouttheevolvingresearchandinnovationenvironmenttoday,butwhatisneededtostrengthenitforthefuture.

Acrosscontinents,onemessagestandsout:researchersremaindeeplycommittedtoadvancinghumanprogress.Despiteincreasingchallenges,andwiththeright

supportandtechnology,theyarereadytoshapeamoreconnected,confidentandinnovativeresearchfuture.

TheResearcheroftheFuture—aConfidenceinResearchreportbuildsonourrecentstudies—Insights2024:

ResearcherAttitudestowardAI1,ConfidenceinResearch:ResearchersintheSpotlight(2022)2andResearch

Futures2.0(2022)3.

Together,theychartthepulseofacommunitynavigatingchangewithoptimism.

ResearcheroftheFuture—aConfidenceinResearchreport

Onlinesurveybyemailinvitation,August–September2025.

3,234activeresearchersand

leadersacrossacademia,R&D-ledcorporationsandresearchinstitutionsfrom113countries.

Responsesareweightedgeographicallytoimproverepresentativeness.Seeappendicesfordetails.

Executivesummary

5

AIistransformingresearch

AIisreshapingtheresearchlandscape,withgrowingadoptionandoptimismaboutitspotential,alongsideconcernsaboutpreparednessandgovernance.

AIadoptioninresearchhassurged:58%haveusedAItoolsforwork,upfrom37%in2024.MostoftentheyuseAItofindandsummarizethelatestresearch(61%)andperform

literaturereviews(51%).

ResearchersarelargelypositiveaboutAI’s

potentialtoboostefficiency,with58%sayingitalreadysavesthemtimetodayand69%

expectingAItosavethemtimeinthenexttwotothreeyears.

61%believeAIwillbethecreativeforcedrivingnewknowledgeinthenexttwotothreeyears.

However,manyfeelunderprepared:45%

feelundertrainedinAI,andonly32%agreegovernanceofAIattheirinstitutionisgood.

ResearcherspointtoanumberoffactorstoincreasetheirconfidenceinusingAIincludingtransparency:whenAIautomaticallycites

references(59%)andrecency:whentheAI’strainingdataincludesthemostup-to-datescholarlyliterature(55%).

Underpressurebutupholdingintegrity

Researchersfacechallengesthatimpacttheirabilitytoconductandpublishhigh-qualityworkbutvaluethepublicationrecord.

Only45%agreetheyhavesufficienttime

forresearch,andjust33%expectfundingintheirfieldtoincreaseinthenexttwotothreeyears,withoptimismlowestinNorthAmericaandEurope.

Additionally,78%ratethedesignofthe

Thepressuretopublishisubiquitous:68%saythepressuretopublishtheirresearchisgreaterthantwotothreeyearsago.

Researchersvaluetrustedcontent:74%saypeer-reviewedresearchistrustworthy.

85%agreethatcorrectionsandretractionsofresearcharticlesensureintegrity,and76%agreethatpublishersplayacriticalrolein

ensuringresearchintegrity.

researchmethodologyasextremelyorveryimportantforconfidenceinothers’work.

Many(55%)havesuccessfullyreplicatedothers’workintheirownstudies.

Executivesummary

6

Waysofworkingareevolving

Researchpracticesareshiftingwithincreasedcollaborationandchangingattitudestowardinternationalmobility.

63%agreethereismorecollaborationintheirresearchareathanpreviously.

Amongthoseseeingincreasedcollaboration,68%arecollaboratingmorewithresearchersfromotherdisciplinesand53%with

institutionsinothercountries.

Researchermobilityisinflux:30%ofall

researchersreportseeingmoreinternationalapplicantsthanayearago.

Topmotivationsforthoseconsideringmovingarebetterwork-lifebalance(51%),more

researchfunding(49%)andgreaterfreedomtopursueresearchinterests(49%).

29%wouldconsidermovingabroadfortheircareerinthenexttwoyears.

?

Drivetodemonstrateimpact

Researchersareincreasinglyexpectedtoaligntheirworkwithsocietalgoalsanddemonstratereal-worldimpact.

Thereisashiftinthefocusofresearch—67%agreethereismoreemphasisonmission-

orientedresearchcomparedtotwotothreeyearsago.

50%ofresearchersthinkresearchmustalwayshaverealworldbenefit—up7percentage

pointsfrom2022.

78%saytheirresearchwillresultinincreasedscientificknowledgeandunderstandingin

theirfield;only1%saytheirresearchwillhavenoimpact.

…ofwhom64%havepublishedanarticleinamagazineornewsletter,58%givenpubliclecturesand49%interactedwithschoolstudents.

66%havedoneoutreachtosharetheirresearchwithbroaderaudiences…

Executivesummary

7

Regionalanddemographicvariations

Thisglobalreportrevealsgeographicaldifferencesinresearchers’

experiencesandhowtheyviewthecurrentandfutureresearchlandscape.

AcrossthebroadregionsofNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,AsiaPacific,Europe,MiddleEastandAfrica,theinsightsshownotablevariationsbycountry.Recognizingthesedifferencesisimportantfortailoringsupportandsolutionsthataccountforlocalcontexts.

Europe’sresearchersaresimilartothoseinNorthAmerica:TheirviewsonAIareconsistentlyless

positiveandtheirAIadoptionratesarelower

comparedtothoseinotherregions.ResearchersinEuropealsoreportmoretimepressurethanthoseinotherregions.Theyarelessoptimisticthattheirfundingwillincrease(25%vs33%globally).

InNorthAmerica,researchers’viewsonAIare

consistentlylesspositive,andtheyhavelowerAIadoptionratescomparedtothoseinotherregions.Feweragreethatresearchmusthaveareal-

worldbenefit(33%vs50%globally).Theyareless

optimisticthattheirfundingwillincrease(11%vs

33%globally).ResearchersintheUSAaremostlikelytoconsiderrelocating(40%vs29%globally).

ResearchersintheMiddleEastandAfricaaremostopentorelocatingabroad,andtheyarereceiving

moreinternational

applicantsthanother

regions.Theybelieve

thereismoreemphasis

ofmission-orientated

research(78%vs67%

globally).Theythink

researchmusthaveareal-worldimpact(82%vs50%),andmostresearchersin

thisregionaredoingpublicoutreach(78%vs66%).

ResearchersinAsiaPacific

consistentlyreportmorepositiveviewsonAIandhigheradoptionratesofAItools,particularlyinChina(theyarealsomorelikelytothinkAIwillimprovethe

qualityoftheirwork66%vs38%globally).Inaddition,theyreportgreaterpressuretopublish(79%vs68%globally).Moreagreethatresearchmusthaveareal-worldbenefit(59%vs50%globally).

ResearchersinAsiaPacificareleastlikelytorelocate,with

theratesparticularlylowinChina(13%).

ResearchersinSouthAmerica

aremoreoptimisticaboutfundingincreasesoverthenext2–3years(42%vs33%globally)andmore

inclinedtoconsiderrelocatingtoanothercountry(43%vs

29%globally).Whenitcomes

toAI,theyarelessconfidentin

institutionalgovernance(12%

vs32%globally)andfeelless

adequatelytrainedinitsuse(18%vs27%globally).Despitethis,ahigherproportionhaveusedAI

forwork-relatedpurposes(63%)comparedtopeersinNorth

America(52%)andEurope(53%).

Executivesummary

8

Theresearcherofthefuture

needstools,trainingandsupport

Thefindingspaintapictureofaresearchcommunitythatisadaptable,collaborativeanddrivenbybothcuriosity

andthedesiretomakeadifference.Toempowertheresearcherofthefuture,stakeholders—includinguniversities,funders,andinformationandanalyticproviders—needtoworktogetherto:

ProvidetrainingandguidanceonAItoensureresearchershavetheskillsandconfidencetousenewtoolseffectivelyandethically.

Fostercollaborationandmobility

throughinternationalpartnerships

andreduceadministrativebarrierstoresearcherexchange.

$

Implementstronggovernanceand

policiesaroundresearchintegrity,

addressingconcernsaboutreliability,biasandtransparency.

Encourageoutreachandengagementby

rewardingpubliccommunicationeffortsandenablingresearcherstosharetheirworkwithpolicymakers,educatorsandthepublic.

Facilitateaccesstofundingopportunities,enablefairevaluationofresearchoutputs(valuingqualityandintegrity).

Asadrivingforceinglobalresearch,AIhasmuchpotential,andtoachieveitprovidersmustlistentoresearchers.

Withthisstudy,weaimedtounderstandresearchers’perceptionanduseofAItools,aswellastheirexperiencesandpredictionsintheresearchenvironment.Wewillcontinuetomonitorresearchers’viewsandbehaviortomeettheirneedswithresponsibleAItools.

FollowElsevierConnecton

Forfurtherinformation,visit:

ElsevierConnect

Elsevier

@elsevierconnect

elsevier.io/researcher-of-the-future

9

Introduction

Globalchallenges,technologicaldevelopment,andeconomicandpoliticalshiftsarechangingthewayresearchisdone,impactingresearchersina

multitudeofways.

Whileoptimisticaboutthefuture,researchersareunderincreasingpressuretoperforminafast-movingcompetitivelandscapeinwhichresearchintegrityiscriticalbutsupportoftenlagging.

WiththeriseofAI,researchisatatippingpoint.ArmedwithreliableAItools,researchershavetheopportunitytoovercomethechallengestheyfaceatworktosolvesomeoftoday’sbiggestglobalproblems.

Theresearcherofthefuturewillneedsupportintheirfast-changinglandscape.Tounderstand

whatthatlookslike,Elsevierconductsregularsurveysonvariousaspectsofresearch.Thisreportsharestheresultsofthelatestsurvey,inwhichover3,200researchersprovidedtheirinsights

andperspectivesonAI,theresearchenvironment,impactandoutreach,andtheirpossiblefuture.

Theaimistounderstandhowresearchersperceivetheevolvinglandscapeofacademicand

scientificenquiry.Thefindingswillhighlightthekeychallengesresearchersfacetoday,howviewsareshiftingandhowtheyshouldbebestsupportedinthefuture.

Trackingtrendsinresearch

Previousstudieshavehighlightedevolvingpatterns,acrossAItechnology,theresearchenvironment,collaborationandmobility,aswellasimpact.

The

Insights2024:ResearcherAttitudestowardAI

reportprovidedabaselinefortheuse,perceptionand

expectationofAIinresearch.1Itshowedthat74%of

researchersbelieveAI(includingGenAI)willhavea

transformativeorsignificantimpactontheirareaofwork,with37%ofrespondentsalreadyusingAIintheirwork.3

SeveraldifferencesemergedinAIusageandattitudes,

notablythatresearchersinAsiaPacificaremorelikelytohaveapositiveviewofAI.Ageorcareerlevelalsomadeadifference,withearlycareerresearchersmorepositiveandknowledgeableabouttheirinstitution’sAIactivitiesandmoreseniorrespondentslessso.Thesedifferencesarealsoevidentinthisreport.

ResearchFutures2.0

sharedin-depthinsightsinto

researchers’experiences,attitudesandpredictions

acrossarangeofareas,highlightingareaslikefunding,openscienceandresearchintegrity.3Thereport

predictedanincreaseincollaboration,fasterandmoreopenknowledgeinpublishing,greaterengagementwiththepublic,andthegrowingadoptionofAIinresearch.Thesetrendscontinueinthecurrentsurvey.

Publicengagementwithresearchwasafocusinthe

ConfidenceinResearch:ResearchersintheSpotlight

report,highlightingwhatresearchersaredoingtotaketheirworktobroaderaudiences,theirconfidencein

communicatingandthebarrierstoovercometosupportthisoutreach.2

Introduction

10

Anewchapter:

ResearcheroftheFuture

Researcherofthe

Future—aConfidenceinResearchreport

Survey:Onlinesurveybyemailinvitation

Date:August–September2025

Respondents:3,234active

researchersandleadersacrossacademia,R&D-ledcorporationsandresearchinstitutionsfrom113countries.

Responsesareweightedgeographicallytoimproverepresentativeness.Seeappendicesfordetails.

Thissurveyprovidesnewandup-to-dateinsightsintohowresearchisevolving.

Manyofthetrendspreviouslyidentifiedcontinue:researchersareincreasinglyusingAItoolstohelpthemovercomechallengeslikelimitedtime,pressure

topublishandthecompetitivefundingenvironment.Collaborationacrossgeographicanddisciplinarybordersisincreasing,andmanyareconsideringmovingtoothercountries.Moreresearchersrecognizethegrowing

importanceofimpactinresearch,andthey’retakingactivestepstosharetheirfindingswithwideraudiences.

AIisdrivingchangeandsupportingresearchersacrossalltheseshifts.Ithasquicklybecomeanintegralpartofresearchers’work,beingbothsupportiveandtransformative,withtoolsthatcanacceleratediscoverywhileraisingnewquestionsaboutskills,ethicsandtrust.

Theaimofthesurveywastodeepenunderstandingofhowresearchersperceivetheevolvinglandscapeofscientificenquiryandinnovation,

influencedbyAIadvancementsandgrowingpressuresonresearchers.

Understandingresearchers’experiencesandchallengesisessentialtoprepareresearchersforacollaborative,AI-enabledfuture.

Thisreportisstructuredinfourmainchapters:

Chapter1:AIistransformingresearch

AIisreshapingtheresearchlandscape,withgrowingadoptionandoptimismaboutitspotential,alongsideconcernsaboutpreparednessandgovernance.

Chapter2:Pressuresonresearchersandintegrity

Researchersfacechallengesthatimpacttheirabilitytoconductandpublishhigh-qualityworkbutvaluethepublicationrecord.

Chapter3:Waysofworkingareevolving

Researchpracticesareshiftingwithincreasedcollaborationandchangingattitudestowardinternationalmobility

Chapter4:Drivetodemonstrateimpact

Researchersareincreasinglyexpectedtoaligntheirworkwithsocietalgoalsanddemonstratereal-worldimpact.

Eachchapterpresentskeysurveyfindings(withstatistics),illustrativequotesfromrespondentsaroundtheworldandcomparisonstopaststudieswhererelevant.Wealsohighlightnotableregionalandcareer-stagedifferencesthroughout.

Youcanexplorethefullresultsintheaccompanying

databook

releasedwiththisreport.

11

Chapter1:

AIis

transformingresearch

“AIisbecomingnotonlyatoolfor

automatingtasksbutalsoacreativepartnerenhancinghumanintellect,enabling

breakthroughsandoriginalknowledgecreationatunprecedentedspeeds.”

AcademicAffairsDirector/DeputyDirector,China

Keyinsights

AIadoptioninresearchhassurged

58%

haveusedAItoolsfor

work,upfrom37%in2024.

ResearchersuseAIfordifferentpurposes

61%

tofindandsummarizethelatestresearchand51%toperform

literaturereviews.

ResearchersarelargelypositiveaboutAI’spotentialtoboostefficiency

58%

sayAIalreadysavesthemtimetoday,and69%expectittosavethemtimeinthenexttwotothreeyears.

AIasacreativeforce

61%

believeAIwillbethecreativeforcedrivingnewknowledgeinthenexttwotothreeyears.

C

However,manyfeelunderprepared

45%

feelundertrainedinAI,andonly32%agreetheirinstitutionalAIgovernanceisgood.

ResearcherspointtoanumberoffactorstoincreasetheirconfidenceinusingAI

59%

indicateAIshouldautomaticallycitereferences,and55%indicatethatAItrainingdatashouldbebasedonthemostup-to-datescholarlyliterature.

AIistransformingresearch

12

AItoday:Currentuseandperceptions

ResearcherstodayrecognizeAIasatransformativetoolthatcanenhancetheirefficiency,boostcreativityandenabledataanalysis.Manyare

enthusiasticaboutthepotentialofAItotransformresearch,andtheyareincreasinglyexperiencingitsbenefitsinpractice.

AnotherdescribedAIas:

“…nowhelpingustothinkoutandinventnewresearchtopics,becomingindispensable.Inthenearfuture,

thus,itwillbeagamechanger.”

ResearchServices/Office(Head/Director/DeputyDirector),SouthKorea

Asonerespondentnoted:

“AImakesiteasiertoanalyzeseveralarticlesinashorttime,whichspeedsupresearchandismoreprecisewhenmakingdecisions.”

Researcher,Peru

Figure1

UseofAItools

HavenotusedAI

84%

HaveusedAIfornon-work

ABDF

Question:HaveyouusedanAI(includinggenerativeAI)tooloranAIfeatureonanexistingtoolyouuse?

Valuesmarkedwithaletteraresignificantlyhigher(atthe90%confidencelevel)thanthatgroup.Forexample,ifavalueismarkedwith‘B’,itissignificantlyhigherthan‘NorthAmerica’.Conversely,thegroupdenotedbytheletterissignificantlylowerthanthatvalue.

Base:n=3,234;NorthAmerica(480);SouthAmerica(141);Europe(848);AsiaPacific(1,534);MiddleEast&Africa(128).

HaveusedAIforwork(A)

45%

MiddleEast&Africa(F)

63%

South

America(C)

52%

North

America(B)

64%

Asia

Pacific(E)

53%

Europe(D)

58%

26%

16%

BDF

BDF

AIadoptionamongresearchersisgrowingrapidly:

58%haveusedAItoolsforwork,upfrom37%inearly

2024.1Usagerangesfrom40%inIndiato69%inChina,

aligningwithpreviouspatterns.Aboutaquarter(26%)ofrespondentssaytheyhaveusedAItoolsjusttotestthemorforanon-workpurpose.

Overall,16%ofresearcherssaytheyhavenotusedAI

toolsatall,withthoseintheUSA(25%)andIndia(26%)indicatingtheyhavenotusedAI,whileonly4%ofthoseinChina(4%)havenot.

Asinpreviousyears,ChatGPTisthemostcommonly

usedgeneralistAItool.OfthosewhouseAItoolsfor

work,71%ofrespondentsgloballyuseChatGPT.Usage

ishighestamongearlycareerresearchers(withlessthansevenyears’experience),at83%,andlowestamongthosewithover20years’experience(65%).

AIistransformingresearch

13

Figure2

CurrentperceptionsofAItools

%perceivepositively%perceivenegatively

Savemetime

58%

20%

Takeupmytime

Givememorechoice

48%

20%

Givemelesschoice

Empowerme

44%

26%

Devalueme

Provideusefulanswers

39%

28%

Provideunhelpfulanswers

Increasemyautonomy

36%

28%

Reducemyautonomy

Ethicallydeveloped

23%

38%

Unethicallydeveloped

Trustworthy

22%

39%

Unreliable

Question:HowdoyouperceivetheimpactofAItoolsonyouasaresearcher?Foreachofthefollowingpairsofstatements,pleaseindicatewhereyourviewfallsonthespectrum.Notchartedarethosewhoansweredatthemid-pointofthespectrum.

Base:n=3,234

TheperceptionofAIamongresearcherstodayis

generallypositive,thoughthereareareasofconcern.

Mostresearchersglobally(58%)sayAItoolssavethem

time,comparedto20%whosaytheytakeuptheirtime.Thereissubstantialregionalvariation,with70%of

respondentsinSouthAmericaand67%inAsiaPacific

perceivingthemastime-savingcomparedto39%ofthoseinNorthAmericaand52%ofthoseinEurope.Youcan

explorethefullresultsintheaccompanying

databook

releasedwiththisreport.

Similarly,60%ofresearchersinAsiaPacificsayAI

toolsgivethemmorechoice,comparedto29%in

NorthAmericaand39%inEurope.Thispattern—with

perceptionmorepositiveinAsiaPacificandlesspositiveinNorthAmericaandEurope—isevidentacrossall

AI-relatedareascoveredinthesurvey.

Globally,respondentsareoverallmorepositiveaboutAIcurrentlyempoweringthem(44%)ratherthandevaluingthem(26%),providinguseful(39%)ratherthanunhelpful(28%)answers,andincreasing(36%)ratherthanreducing(28%)theirautonomy.

However,intwoareas—ethicsandreliability—

researchersarelesspositive.Lessthanaquarter(23%)ofrespondentsgloballybelieveAItoolsareethically

developed,comparedto38%whothinktheyare

unethicallydeveloped.Similarly,22%ofrespondents

believeAItoolsarecurrentlytrustworthy,comparedto39%whosaytheyareunreliable.Weseethisreflectedinthecomments.

“Althoughausefultool,AIrequiresvalidationbecauseitoftengeneratesfalseormisleadinginformation.”

Researcher(hospital),USA

“Untilnow,AIhasnotdemonstratedtrustworthycharacteristicsin

scientificresearch,exceptforwriting.EspeciallywhenIfoundthatAIoftenfabricatesfakeliteratureonitsown,IbecameverycautiousaboutusingAIinacademicresearch.”

HeadofDepartment/DepartmentHead,China

WhilethereissomenegativesentimentinAsiaPacific

too,thepatternisinverted,inbothcaseswith31%

indicatingtheybelieveisethicalandtrustworthyand27%unethicalandunreliable.

AIistransformingresearch

14

AIapplications,todayandtomorrow

Figure3

Researchers’currentandfutureusesforAI

…findandsummarizethelatestresearch

Use%

61%

Currentuse

Futureuse

(amongthosewhodon’tuse)

Current&

futureuse%

79%

23%38%

17%21%

…performliteraturereviews

51%

17%34%

19%

30%

70%

…writeordraftgrantproposals

41%

12%29%

19%

40%

60%

…analyzeresearchdata

38%

11%27%

22%

40%

60%

…writeordraftresearchpapersorreports

38%

10%28%

13%

48%

52%

…manageresearchprojects(e.g.,planning,scheduling)

37%

12%25%

25%

38%

62%

…identifygrantopportunities

32%

8%24%

32%

36%

64%

…generatenew

researchhypotheses

32%

6%26%

17%

51%

49%

…designexperimentsorstudies

30%

7%23%

17%

54%

46%

%wouldliketouse

Question:DoyouuseorwouldliketouseAItoolsto…

Base:n=3,234

%wouldnotuse

occasionally

frequently

%use

%use

AItechnologyplaysasupportingroleinmanyaspectsofresearch,andassuchitisdrivingprogressacrossareasincludingknowledgemanagementanddissemination,

fundingandcollaboration.Aswesawinprevious

research,academicleadersaregrapplingwithbig

challenges,includingfunding,talentacquisitionandretention,andimpact.4

Researchersarealsodealingwiththesechallenges,andcurrentAIusagereflectsthis,includingkeepingupwiththelateststudies.Morethanhalfofresearchersare

currentlyusingAItoperformliteraturereviews(51%)andfindandsummarizethelatestresearch(61%).Overone-third(38%)areusingAItoolstoanalyzeresearchdata,

38%towriteordraftresearchpapersorreports,and41