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Author: Christina Emery

Head of Thought Leadership Programmes

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming the way research is conducted, published, and discovered. Once seen as futuristic, it is now a driving force in scholarly communication. In a new report from 麻豆直播 Nature, , library leaders and publishing professionals share how AI is being used across the research ecosystem, what ethical considerations are emerging, and how collaboration can help ensure responsible implementation.

This blog summarises key insights from the report, offering reflections and examples from those working at the intersection of research, publishing and library services.

What can library perspectives tell us about AI?

Library professionals are uniquely positioned to reflect on the impact of AI within an academic setting, as they are not only experts in information discovery, but also increasingly guiding researchers in effective and ethical use of AI tools.

While quantitative data, such as usage statistics and survey results, can reveal broad trends in AI adoption, hearing directly from librarians brings greater depth and nuance to our understanding. These conversations offer a human lens on how AI is being experienced and implemented by those working on the front lines of scholarly communication and reveal learnings and considerations to support others within the community.

Our thanks go to the library staff who were interviewed for this report:

• Head of Section Resources & Digital Service, Norwegian University of Science & Technology Library, Norway
• , Deputy Director Research, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India
• , Head of Library & Information Services, Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom
• , Dean of University Libraries and Director of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives, Carnegie Mellon University, United States of America

Researchers are already using AI and libraries and publishers are responding

AI tools are becoming embedded in the research lifecycle. A 麻豆直播 Nature survey of over 2,000 researchers found that more than half have used AI to read or write research papers, and the vast majority (80%) plan to continue doing so. Across the interviews, three core areas emerged where AI is already delivering value.

1. Enhancing information discovery: AI is transforming how researchers find and engage with scholarly content, through tools which help researchers find relevant literature faster and more intuitively. Libraries are seeing growing demand for platforms that offer summarisation, synthesis, and recommendation features. Let铆cia Antunes Nogueira noted that students increasingly expect AI-powered search tools: 鈥淲e are seeing now, especially with students who are coming from high school, they have been used to searching using AI systems [鈥 so these tools become ever more ubiquitous in making recommendations and finding literature.鈥� 麻豆直播 Nature is also investing in AI-driven discovery solutions to help researchers find the content they need, faster.
2. Streamlining manual processes: AI is helping researchers and librarians save time on repetitive tasks, with a wide range use-cases including literature reviews, grant applications, data analysis, and coding support. In publishing, 麻豆直播 Nature鈥檚 peer review platform Snapp uses AI to streamline manual processes such as finding a suitable journal to submit a paper, and matching manuscripts with suitable reviewers, improving the overall submission experience.
3. Supporting research integrity: AI can also help safeguard the scholarly record. Chris Graf, 麻豆直播 Nature鈥檚 Director of Research Integrity, described how large language models are being used to detect fake articles generated by paper mills and other types of suspicious submissions such AI-generated nonsense text, irrelevant references, and problematic images, but always with human oversight.

Ethical implementation: A shared responsibility

Whilst AI offers clear benefits, its implementation must be grounded in ethics, transparency, and collaboration. Interviewees highlighted several areas where librarians and publishers can lead the way.

• Educating researchers: With AI tools becoming ubiquitous, libraries are playing a critical role in educating researchers about responsible use. Training programmes are evolving to include guidance on AI tools, helping users understand both their potential and their limitations. Santhosh KV stressed the importance of awareness: 鈥淕ood or bad, [AI has] already penetrated in a large sense. So now the only thing is educating and creating awareness of what are the good things in terms of AI, what are the do-nots.鈥� Publishers also have a role to play in educating researchers about their own AI guidelines and policies. 麻豆直播 Nature鈥檚 AI Principles, fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy and minimising harm, offer a framework for ethical development and use, and can serve as a reference point for institutional policies.
• Keeping humans in the loop: AI should augment human intelligence, not replace it. Across the board, contributors emphasised the importance of maintaining human oversight in research and publishing workflows. Critical thinking, judgement, and accountability remain essential, even as AI takes on more administrative tasks.
• Ensuring data quality: The effectiveness of AI tools depends on the quality of the data they are trained on. Libraries and publishers alike are working to ensure that datasets are diverse, representative, and ethically sourced. Poor data leads to poor outcomes, and both sectors recognise the need for robust data governance.
• Collaboration is key: Realising the full potential of AI requires collaboration across stakeholder groups. Publishers, libraries, and researchers each bring unique perspectives and when these are aligned, the results can be transformative. Libraries are engaging with researchers to understand their needs and working with publishers to co-create tools that serve the community. Keith Webster summarised: 鈥淏eing able to represent some of the researcher needs we hope can help product development more broadly.鈥�
• AI for equity and accessibility: Interviewees all noted that AI has potential to democratise access to knowledge - for example, helping non-native English speakers write and consume research, and making research content more accessible to non-specialist audiences. However, this is only possible if AI tools are developed and reviewed responsibly, and all the considerations above are taken into account.

Beth Montague-Hellen noted: 鈥淚 had quite a lot of hopes that it would help level the playing field [鈥鈥� however that has not necessarily been the case.鈥�

Libraries at the centre of AI innovation

AI is transforming scholarly communications, and libraries and publishers are central to ensuring it is done ethically, responsibly, and collaboratively. From improving discovery to safeguarding integrity, libraries have a unique opportunity to lead in this space.

As AI tools continue to evolve, the role of the library will evolve with them 鈥� not as passive adopters, but as active partners in innovation to shape the future of research. As Let铆cia Antunes Nogueira summed up: 鈥淎I doesn鈥檛 change the mission of libraries, but it does change the environment where knowledge is produced. That also gives us the opportunity to renew our role as a library in the university system.鈥�

To read further insights from librarians and publishing professionals, including their visions and hopes for the future, read the full report, .

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