Where To Start With AI in Research Management

The article discusses the integration of AI in research management, highlighting its potential to improve efficiency in communication, data analysis, and predictive modeling. It provides practical steps for research managers to start using AI tools, such as assessing needs, starting small, and training teams. The piece emphasizes the importance of human oversight in AI applications and addresses common concerns regarding AI adoption in research institutions.

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Where To Start With AI in Research Management

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Nícolas Oliveira

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Where to start with AI in research management

blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2024/12/16/where-to-start-with-ai-in-research-management/

December 16, 2024

Generative AI is having a transformative effect on academic work, but it

is also reshaping the professional services and research management
sectors that support it. Here Anna Aston discusses where AI can be
useful for research management and the tools research managers can
use in different areas of their work.

Research managers are navigating a rapidly changing landscape. There is growing

pressure to improve efficiency, manage data sets, and boost productivity. While AI is often
touted as the solution to these challenges, many research professionals don’t know
where to begin. Here is your cheat sheet to thinking through where and how AI can help
with research management workflows.

Why AI Matters in Research Management

Today, many employees already have access to AI tools like Microsoft Copilot or may
even bring their own to work (a trend known as BYOAI). While ChatGPT might be widely
used, many other tools cater to individual preferences and needs.

Broadly speaking, AI is particularly good a streamlining repetitive tasks and processes

and thereby creating space for you to focus on more complex work. In this respect, AI
offers opportunities for research managers in three key areas:

• Improved communication
• Data analysis and error detection
• Predictive modelling

First steps to AI integration

Curious about AI but not sure where to start? Consider the following:
Assess your needs: Identify which tasks are taking too much time or effort and can be
handled by AI. AI is most effective when applied to routine, time-consuming tasks.

Start small: Pick one or two AI tools to experiment with. Tools like ChatGPT for writing
assistance or Notion AI for task management can be great starting points.

Train your team: Help your team get comfortable with AI tools through basic training.
The key is to make everyone aware of AI’s potential and how to use it effectively.

Evaluate and adapt: Regularly assess how AI is impacting your workflow. What is
working? What isn’t? Adapt based on feedback and explore other AI applications as you
grow more comfortable.

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Identifying pain points AI can solve
Research managers and administrators juggle many responsibilities, many of which AI
can help with.

Summarising and reformatting data: With the right prompts AI can significantly reduce
the time you spend analysing documents. Instead of poring over a fifty page report, you
could let AI give you a concise one-page overview. I have found tools like ChatGPT,
ChatPDF, SciSpace, and Quillbot are well suited for this purpose.

Answering emails: Finding the right words for an email can often be a significant block
to getting a project moving. AI can generate responses summarising contracts, milestone
reports into a couple of easy-to-read sentences. Tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and
Compose AI excel in automating and improving email responses.

Academic search: AI can assist in finding relevant research publications and browsing
the web for useful information (hallucinations are real so remember to verify sources!).
Tools like Perplexity AI, ResearchRabbit, Elicit, and Scite.ai are current leaders in AI for
research discovery.
Marketing content creation: Whether it’s social media posts or event invitations, AI can
generate audience-targeted messaging that resonates with different demographics.
Jasper AI and Copy.ai are great for generating industry standard marketing content.

Creative content: Need a quick video or engaging presentation? AI can generate

visuals, audio, and even entire presentations in a fraction of the time, without sacrificing
quality. Tools like MidJourney, Gamma, and Suno AI make this possible.

Data analysis: Whether checking data accuracy, identifying entry errors, or predicting
funding trends, tools like ChatGPT or Julius AI can help advance data analysis and
reporting.

The human-AI partnership

AI isn’t here to take your job, but it can make it easier. While AI can automate many tasks,
humans remain critical to ensure the quality and integrity of the work. The human role is
to oversee and guide AI outputs, using them as tools for augmentation rather than
replacement.

You can think of AI as a colleague, a smart one, who occasionally makes mistakes, but
can help you handle mundane tasks while you focus on strategic decisions. Platforms like
Zapier or Make can be used to help integrate AI tools (like ChatGPT) into your workflow,
connecting them with other apps to create an efficient automated system. Still, you hold
the final say and the responsibility for outcomes.

Addressing Common Concerns

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Many research institutions haven’t fully embraced AI yet due to the lack of clear
guidelines and policies. Concerns over GDPR compliance, bias detection, and data
privacy make AI a tricky subject. But there is a positive trend: funding bodies like UKRI
have developed a policy on ‘Use of GenAI in Application preparation and assessment’;
the European Commission has published guidance on the responsible use of GenAI in
research, and the Information Commissioner’s Office provides guidance on AI and data
protection, offering a clearer path for institutions to follow.

Ongoing training will be essential as AI tools become as common as spreadsheets.

Understanding how to use AI ethically and effectively will ensure that you are not only
saving time but also safeguarding the integrity of your research and data.

AI can be a powerful ally for research management professionals, offering solutions to

everyday pain points while opening new doors for productivity and innovation. Starting
small, staying informed, and embracing AI tools will enable you to stay ahead in a rapidly
evolving landscape.

AI isn’t the future, it is the present. So, what is your next move?

The content generated on this blog is for information purposes only. This Article gives the
views and opinions of the authors and does not reflect the views and opinions of the
Impact of Social Science blog (the blog), nor of the London School of Economics and
Political Science. Please review our comments policy if you have any concerns on
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