ChatGPT and other generative AI applications have once again cast the spotlight on AI and its purpose in academic research. Heralded by some as the ultimate time-saver and means to ease administrative burdens, its reception in academic circles varies. How much do researchers actually know about this technology and how it works? Critical voices express reservations about the potential negative implications AI has on the integrity of research as well as cite the potential harmful practices related to the dissemination of bias and inaccurate information. This debate surrounding the involvement of AI in research is fervent among academics, policymakers and legal experts, centering on the question: What role should AI have in the research process?
This article explores the evolving phenomenon of science communication in social media and the norms and values that shape these online spaces. We interviewed science communicators on TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms globally, about using generative AI to produce science-related social media content. We found that authenticity, creativity, and academic integrity are central values of online science communication and shed light on how these spaces operate.
As generative AI applications in science proliferate they prompt a self-reflection on work routines in scientific knowledge production. At the same time, scientific institutions, publishing bodies, and funding agencies are confronted with both regulatory challenges and the task of promoting the use of generative AI in line with good scientific practice.
In this opinion piece Isabella Hermann reflects on AI and how the general perception of it is shaped by pop-culturel archetypes, represented for example in movies.
In this short analysis, Sami Nenno takes a closer look at the content of fact-checks and misinformation in Germany.
In this interview Theresa Züger gives exciting insights about the risks and opportunities AI bears for research work and talked about tools her team is developing.
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