Generative AI in Research

The growing popularity of Generative AI has stirred new debates about the future of knowledge production. With a prompt and a click, regular users can now generate contents on just about any topic of interest, drawing from hundreds of billions of parameters with which the latest versions of Gen AI models are trained. As Generative AI rapidly evolves with more advanced features and capabilities, stakeholders have expressed worries that AI models will displace humans as central agents in the research process. This book examines the case for and against applications of Gen AI in research, highlighting the prospects and pitfalls. Using exemplar prompts and custom GPTs created by the authors, it explores prospective use cases for automated data processing, complex modelling and simulations; applications in experimental designs; and review of draft manuscripts. The book also engages with key issues around algorithmic bias, inaccuracies, fake information, epistemic injustice, and the ethics of AI applications in research. In some ways a companion piece to the authors' previous title, 'Generative AI in Higher Education: Innovation Strategies for Teaching and Learning', this book has a particularly practical appeal for researchers, as well as university officials and policymakers getting to grips with the explosion of AI-assisted research. It will also be of value to scholars of AI and innovation strategy in higher education.