Google DeepMind and Springer Nature to create AI peer review tool

Publishing giant Springer Nature and the UK-based lab Google DeepMind have partnered on research seeking to produce an artificial intelligence peer review assistant.

The two companies will “co-design” the tool “to explore how technology can help create a more rewarding reviewer experience”, Springer Nature said on 26 October, announcing the partnership.

The collaboration comes as researchers globally are grappling with a surge in AI-assisted scientific outputs, which is threatening the peer review process. The use of AI tools in peer review is being trialled by funders such as UK Research and Innovation, but the matter is controversial.

A prototype assistant is currently being tested, Springer Nature said. The final product “will help re-envision peer review as an interactive experience that uses AI to empower scientific experts while keeping expert human judgment at the centre of the process,” it said.

Seshu Ajjarapu, senior director of applied AI at Google DeepMind, said: “Unlocking scientific discovery requires a peer-review experience that is both rigorous and in sync with the pace of research.

“Together, we are building a platform that relieves the strain of growing submission volumes while strictly upholding the editorial standards of the world’s leading journals,” he said, calling it “a prime example of how AI can strengthen the foundational structures of modern science”. 

The research project builds on DeepMind’s frontier Gemini AI models and Google’s experience in developing “proven agentic” research tools such as ScholarPeer and Deep Review, Springer Nature said. “The new assistant helps reviewers analyse large amounts of text, charts, and figures,” it added.

The system is built using Google’s open-source Agent Development Kit, which Springer Nature said is running only in its private Gemini Enterprise platform. It has assured that any content used to develop and test the peer review assistant remains within the publisher’s secure environments.

Saskia Steinacker, chief product officer at Springer Nature, said: “The expertise and judgement of reviewers are fundamental to peer review. As research grows in volume and complexity, we have an opportunity to explore how AI can responsibly support that expertise, helping reviewers focus their time where it matters most and on the questions that require specialist scientific judgement.”

frances.jones@timeshighereducation.com