AI is changing the conditions for research

In the article, Niclas Kaiser, Associate Professor at Umeå University and Focus Area Coordinator for TAIGA's focus area Embodied Interactive AI, highlights the need for a broader discussion about the role of AI in research.

AI is becoming an increasingly important part of researchers' everyday work and research processes.

Image Anna-Lena Lindskog

The article is a response to an earlier debate piece on the use of AI in research and how such use should be reported and managed. Niclas Kaiser argues that large language models can serve as more than efficient tools for text production. They can also support reflection, analysis, and the development of new ideas.

According to Kaiser, the discussion should not focus solely on how AI is regulated or disclosed. Equally important is that researchers themselves explore how the technology can be used throughout different stages of the research process, and what opportunities, challenges, and questions emerge across different disciplines. Understanding AI's impact on research therefore requires not only transparency and guidelines, but also new knowledge about how the technology is used in practice.

It is equally important that researchers explore how AI can be used across different parts of the research process and how it influences different scientific disciplines.

Niclas Kaiser, Focus Area Coordinator for Embodied Interactive AI

Image Niclas Kaiser

These questions are closely connected to the research carried out within TAIGA's focus area Embodied Interactive AI, where the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence is at the centre of attention.

The focus area explores how intelligent systems can be developed and applied in ways that take human experiences, actions, and social contexts into account.