Academic research is continuously subject to technological innovation. In recent months, however, we’ve witnessed unprecedented advancements in AI technology such as ChatGPT. ChatGPT, underpinned by Large Language Models (LLM), quickly seems to be disrupting knowledge work of all kinds.

In this live discussion with academic leaders in computer science and AI, panelists discussed how AI might impact academic research. Academics already are using Chat GPT to co-author papers, with journals promptly banning the new practice, using it to write code for analysis, and summarize academic literature. Is this new era of technology different from the major technical innovations that have come before or is it just another step in the technological evolution facilitating academic research?