Delivered on Day 1 of the inaugural CAITG AI Winter School (Session 2, “What are researchers actually using AI for?”), this session (“How Researchers Use AI”) gives an evidence-based picture of AI adoption in academic research, grounding the discussion in what surveys show researchers are actually doing rather than what is hypothetically possible.

Drawing on five recent studies, it covers:

  • Adoption and frequency of use — awareness of AI tools, how often researchers use them, and how the picture shifted between the 2023 and 2024 surveys.
  • What researchers use AI for — six domains of academic AI use, reported uses across the research process, the most common research tasks, and how (or whether) researchers disclose AI use.
  • Who uses AI — differences by role, field and age, the gender gap in adoption, and prompting as a learned skill.
  • Benefits, concerns and regulation — perceived future impact, reported benefits, concerns about AI use, and researchers’ views on barriers and regulation.