AI is helping scientists write research papers
A new study found that more scientists are using ChatGPT and other AI tools to help write research papers.
After looking at over a million papers from 2020 to 2024, researchers saw a steady jump in AI use across many fields—especially for getting ideas down and polishing up writing.
AI in abstracts and introductions
AI shows up most in abstracts and introductions—the parts where you sum things up or hook the reader.
By 2024, about 1 in 5 computer science abstracts had some AI-generated content.
But when it comes to the technical details or experiments, humans are still doing most of the work.
Shorter papers use AI more often
The study also noticed that shorter papers and preprints (early versions shared online) use AI tools more often, likely because researchers want to publish fast.
As AI becomes a bigger part of research writing, being open about its use—and keeping things original—matters more than ever.