Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing scientific research, prompting discussions about its impact on graduate education. On November 6, the Graduate School held a virtual event as part of its “Conversations in Graduate Education” series. The session featured Lisa Messeri from Yale University and Molly Crockett from Princeton University, who co-authored the Nature article “Artificial intelligence and illusions of understanding in scientific research.”
Messeri and Crockett discussed how AI can sometimes create misleading impressions of understanding in research, which may slow scientific progress. They presented a framework to help researchers recognize these issues and use AI responsibly to advance their work, deepen interpretation, and support future scholars.
Molly Lotz, who moderated the session and serves as director of Research Training Initiatives and interim director for the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, said: “This session was an opportunity for graduate program directors and faculty to reflect on the impact artificial intelligence — or automation, as Drs. Messeri and Crockett call it — will have on research training into the future. The speakers applied the findings in their Nature article to graduate education, sparking a discussion about how to train early-career researchers in the context of AI.”
The conversation also addressed how graduate programs can balance the use of AI with critical thinking skills and ethical awareness needed for meaningful research.
Lisa Messeri is an associate professor at Yale University specializing in anthropology of science and technology. Her work examines expert communities as they develop new knowledge fields. She has authored two books: "Placing Outer Space: An Earthly Ethnography of Other Worlds" (2016) and "In the Land of the Unreal: Virtual and Other Realities in Los Angeles" (2024).
Molly Crockett is a professor at Princeton University’s Department of Psychology and University Center for Human Values. Their research focuses on psychological effects of technology such as social media and AI. Crockett co-directs the Future Values Initiative at Princeton, supporting interdisciplinary scholarship on applied ethics in science and technology.