Artificial intelligence is a wonder of the current technological revolution, evolving from synthetic computing power to the invisible infrastructure that supports our daily lives. Artificial intelligence allows machines to simulate human-like reasoning, learn from experience, and make autonomous decisions. Today, its use is no longer a luxury, but a necessity at all levels of society, from simple internet searches to complex scientific investigations. It doesn’t just accelerate human labor.
Artificial intelligence ensures accuracy in data analysis beyond human limitations and acts as a “power multiplier” for human intelligence. In theory, artificial intelligence functions as a broad framework designed to mimic human cognitive abilities, with machine learning serving as its most powerful functional tool. As we stand at this crossroads, especially in the Bangladeshi context, it is essential to analyze the dual role of artificial intelligence in research and scholarly communication: both a fundamental catalyst for discovery and a significant risk to ethical security.
The world of research experiences frequent transformations compared to the advent of the printing press and the spread of the Internet. Generative models and large-scale language models such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini are no longer limited to computer science labs. These toolkits are at the heart of a variety of academic fields, including history, biological genome sequencing, biotechnology, and medicine. Data shows that by late 2025, more than 60 percent of researchers worldwide will be regularly using artificial intelligence tools in their professional work, up from 45 percent just a year ago. This change is being driven by a simple need for efficiency. We live in an age where the treasure trove of scientific knowledge is multiplying exponentially, and it has become almost impossible for humans to survive this huge “information explosion” on our own. Artificial intelligence has broken new ground in managing this deluge, but its liberal application remains the subject of intense academic debate.
Modern researcher toolkits have redefined academic workflows across each step of the process. ChatGPT is the world’s most popular tool for creative ideation and drafting, helping researchers translate complex theories into accessible language. Google Gemini links directly to large real-time datasets, giving you a distinct advantage when it comes to getting up-to-date statistics. Claude, on the other hand, is popular for producing polished and professional summaries due to his nuanced and human prose.
For literature reviews, Elicit and Semantic Scholar allow researchers to map relationships among millions of papers in seconds and identify highly cited papers that might otherwise be missed. Additionally, Perplexity acts as a reliable search engine by providing citations for every answer, while NotebookLM does the unique job of generating automated notes based on documents uploaded by researchers themselves. The Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold system revolutionized biology by allowing researchers to decipher the complex 3D structures of proteins and their intricate cellular interactions, turning decades-old mysteries into engineering certainties.
Artificial intelligence has become an indispensable “co-author” for researchers in developing countries such as Bangladesh. In the past, high-quality research from these regions was often rejected by international journals due to language barriers rather than lack of scientific value. Now, artificial intelligence is bridging that gap, allowing researchers to hone their work to global standards and compete on a level playing field.
Beyond linguistics, artificial intelligence excels at finding patterns in unorganized data, from locating planets in astronomy to predicting epidemics in public health and crop and livestock health. By 2026, artificial intelligence and machine learning will move beyond the experimental stage and become the fundamental infrastructure of computational biology. We have moved from a “trial and error” approach to engineering-driven innovation, and now generative models are designing complex drugs and multispecific antibodies that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Through “digital twins”, precision medicine has reached new heights, making it possible to create personalized treatment plans for each patient.
The current strategy in public health is to “predict and prevent.” Currently, the system analyzes electronic medical records, social media, and environmental sensors to provide early warning of outbreaks. The World Health Organization’s EIOS system uses machine learning to identify health risks in real time, and in regions such as East Africa, artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic tools are delivering clinical assessments with more than 90% accuracy, saving lives where human intervention would otherwise be delayed. However, this steep ascent is not without casualties. The most prominent problem is “illusion”, where artificial intelligence confidently generates false information or completely fictitious references. If researchers fail to verify these claims, “pseudoscience” can spread throughout society. Moreover, the accessibility of artificial intelligence is empowering “paper mills,” unscrupulous organizations that manufacture and sell fraudulent research papers, threatening the fundamental integrity of science.
The peer review process in scholarly communication is also under threat. Rather than using their own critical judgment, many reviewers use artificial intelligence to write their reports, compromising confidentiality and merit-based review. This has been called “elite acceleration,” and while those with access to technology have an advantage, the actual quality of the science remains questionable. For Bangladesh, this is both a huge opportunity and a hurdle. Artificial intelligence can compensate for the lack of limited laboratory facilities and large-scale data analysis capabilities, serving as a powerful tool for climate change impact analysis in agriculture and disaster prediction. However, the “digital divide” remains a challenge. While institutions in developed countries have access to premium tools, many universities do not. Additionally, there is a growing trend among students of “cognitive offloading,” leaving critical thinking to machines, which can erode our basic analytical abilities.
Proactive national strategies must be adopted to ensure that artificial intelligence acts as a collaborator rather than a disruptor. All research papers should explicitly state the extent and nature of the use of artificial intelligence, and codify the principle of “human involvement” to ensure that human researchers are ultimately responsible for accuracy. Recently, many papers by Bangladeshi researchers have been withdrawn from international journals due to plagiarism and unethical practices, threatening our country’s reputation. Our academic institutions must adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards these “academic crimes” because the current lack of accountability will only undermine the future of true scholars. Incorporating “artificial intelligence ethics” into curricula from school to university level is essential to raising awareness of both the uses and abuses of this technology.
The use of artificial intelligence in research is not a passing fad. This is a permanent evolution, leading us to faster solutions to the world’s most complex problems. But this speed must not come at the cost of scientific integrity. The future of research is not “human versus artificial intelligence” but “harmonious integration of human and artificial intelligence.” Scientists are currently working to decipher the human connectome, the interactions of 86 billion neurons, which could ultimately lead to the evolution of artificial intelligence into true intelligence. This change will definitely bring about a paradigm shift in human civilization. But our judgment and human wisdom must remain our last safety net to steer this 21st century technology in the right direction.
Professor Tofazzal Islam is the Director of Graduate Studies, the founding director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Ghazipur Agricultural University, and a teacher at the institute.
