More than two-thirds of European universities say their PhD students are using artificial intelligence in the course of their research, according to a major survey, which also found that doctoral education leaders see “more opportunity than challenges” in the rise of AI tools.
A total of 217 universities took part in the survey carried out by the European University Association’s Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE). The latest findings form the second report on a two-part survey exploring doctoral research in Europe, which also examined areas such as academic freedom, reforming research careers, funding and the impact of geopolitical pressures.
The survey shows that 49 per cent of respondents said AI was used in an “auxiliary way to support doctoral research”, while 17.5 per cent said AI was being used in “both conducting research and as auxiliary support”.
Almost a quarter of universities indicated that they do not know the extent to which their doctoral candidates are using AI and only a small proportion of universities (4 per cent) said AI did not play a role in doctoral research.
While the results show that AI adoption is growing at the doctoral level, universities are still largely catching up more than three years after the release of generative AI chatbot ChatGPT. A small proportion, 38 per cent, report that they are currently in the process of establishing new policies and guidelines on AI for the first time.
Meanwhile, almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of universities said they saw AI as an “opportunity for supporting research”. Slightly less than half, 47 per cent, stated that they think AI poses a challenge to academic integrity.
AI is only one part of a broader shift affecting doctoral education across Europe, according to the report. Findings also highlight that there is “widespread agreement” among European universities that the assessment of researchers needs to be reformed. Universities were asked what they were focusing on when it comes to reforming research careers – 51 per cent mentioned the definition of “clear career development criteria”, while 44 per cent said they were focused on improving working conditions, such as long-term contracts.
A third of respondents believed that in the assessment of researchers, a stronger emphasis should be placed on whether they are contributing to society, while 19 per cent felt there should be more of a focus on teaching.
Almost all surveyed universities said academic freedom at the doctoral level was protected, but 46 per cent support additional European measures to safeguard it, especially in partnerships beyond academia. Almost 70 per cent of respondents indicated that they either had research security measures in place or were at various stages of developing or planning them.
The results also show that Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is a key funding tool at the doctoral level, with 84 per cent of universities saying that it was one of the most important funding instruments for their institution. But universities argue that more national and European funding is needed, particularly for collaborative doctorates and mobility schemes.
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