ChatGPT is changing the way academic research is conducted. It is a game changer, for good or bad, we don't know yet
Uttam Chakraborty
Now, the academic fraternity on a global scale is reeling under challenging times, considering the reckless use of technologies in academic probes. Needless to say, for conducting a scientific inquiry of something, research skills along with technologies are required to expedite the process of research. Research skills are the capability to explore an answer to a question or a solution to a problem. They can be one's ability to collect information about a topic, review that information and analyse and interpret the details in a way to support a solution or answer. Suffice it to say, technologies have a bearing on the process and output of research.
The advent of ChatGPT and its unbridled use in research, for an instance, has drawn the attention of many. However, some argue that ChatGPT is just a storm in a teacup. At the same time, this AI tool has been the bone of contention. OpenAI, a technology company based in San Francisco, California, recently released the chatbot as a free-to-use tool in November, prompting publishers to scramble to develop guidelines for its use. ChatGPT, is an LLM that can produce natural-sounding text by emulating the linguistic patterns found in a massive collection of Internet-sourced text. Already the bot is causing waves of change across industries, including higher education, where it is casting doubt on the long-term viability of student essays and faculty-led research. ChatGPT can enable the students' essays, summarize research papers, answer questions to qualify for medical exams and create helpful computer code.
It can produce research abstracts good enough that scientists found it hard to spot that a computer had written them through AI tools. ChatGPT has potentially invited shortcomings. Many researchers are vehemently against having Chat GPT listed as an author on their papers. Some academic journals worldwide have banned their authors from using the advanced chatbot or Chat GPT. Academic publishers are bothered that inaccurate or plagiarised work could enter the world of academic literature.
Chat GPT is unable to do justice in fetching the integrity of scientific papers. Chat GPT and similar AIs do not meet the criteria for a study author because they cannot take responsibility for the content and integrity of scientific papers. However, at the same time, some publishers argue that artificial intelligence should be given credit for its work on papers in places other than the author list. Chat GPT does not meet the standard for authorship.
An attribution of authorship carries with its accountability for the work which cannot be effectively applied to large language models (LLMs). Some argue that authors who make use of LLMs in any capacity during the development of a paper include appropriate documentation of their use in the paper's methods or acknowledgements sections. Others assert that the AI will provide varying responses to the same question if asked multiple times.
Now people without domain expertise would be able to try to write scientific papers. One requirement for a co-author is that they make a “significant scholarly contribution” to the article, which could be accomplished with the help of collaborative software like Chat GPT. However, it also needs to be mature enough to accept the role of co-author and take ownership of a study.
The writer is an Associate Professor at the School of Management, Presidency University Bangalore
