PhD researchers - is using AI making you a less independent researcher?
Recently, I've been asking PhD researchers to share their AI experiences, questions and concerns* with me and I've quickly come to realise that this goes far beyond the whole "To use AI, or not to use AI?" debate.
Yes, there are clearly some established camps of "Absolutely no fudging way" and "I'm all in, it's saved my PhD!", but one thing that's becoming clear is that people are constantly debating its role in their studies and - like me - changing their mind about it A LOT!
From what PhD researchers have told me, they find AI genuinely helpful for things like brainstorming and working through difficult concepts - essentially having someone (sorry - someTHING!) to bounce their ideas off. Okay, fair enough.
But what I've noticed in quite a few of these conversations is a niggling concern about becoming too dependent on it and what they means for the skills that we associate with PhD-level study - independent critical thinking, exercising your own judgement, learning to trust your own judgement.*
Are we losing opportunities to PRACTISE those skills?
Are people's brains turning into mush?
What I keep coming back to around this topic of maintaining your independence when AI meets the PhD is the importance of RESPONSIBILITY.
What we need to think more carefully about is what PhD researchers still need to be taking responsibility FOR.
Independent research, IMHO, means OWNING your decisions, right?
What does owning a research decision actually involve?
What does that look like when we're increasingly turning to AI to help with the thinking process that gets us to those decisions?
For me, it means being able to explain:
WHY you've made a particular decision.
What led you there?
What alternatives did you consider?
Why does this interpretation make sense for your research?
If AI has helped you arrive at that decision, can you still explain and defend it as YOURS?
Let me leave you with this - if you’re using AI in your PhD, how do YOU make sure you're still doing the intellectual heavy lifting?
* BTW I now have a fear of writing 'in threes', like I did just there above, and it's making me really paranoid that people are going to be like, "AI wrote that for you, that's cheating!". This is driving me bonkerpants.😂 And I just WRITE stuff on the internet now, I'm not even a PROPER author-y person anymore. Jeez. 🙄
Enjoyed reading this? You might like my free “Before you ask AI about your PhD…” worksheet. Get the worksheet here.
Get my free worksheet here.