With artificial-intelligence tools speeding up and taking on ever more steps in science, Nature canvassed opinions on tasks that readers would rather keep for themselves. Here is a snapshot of the responses.
Keep asking questions
As a student involved in research into AI and consciousness, the most exciting part is being curious, noticing unexpected connections and challenging existing assumptions. These moments often come from conversations with mentors, discussions with colleagues and personal reflection rather than from an algorithm. — Müleyke Özçakmak Istanbul, Turkey.
The buck stops here
As a deep-sea scientist, it would be difficult to pass over my inspiration, the thrill of discovery and the creativity to design experiments. A personal connection to the deep-ocean realm is required for conservation, and I have an ethical responsibility in science. — Elva Escobar Mexico City, Mexico.
Let me clean up my data myself
I have a background in biostatistics and I enjoy statistical programming. Getting messy data and making them all neat and presentable is such a pleasure. — Lucy Njoki Njuki Manchester, UK.
AI’s mistakes take too long to fix
Although AI’s efficiency at writing code makes me green with envy, I still prefer writing my own code. I love this part of my job. Code written by AI can be difficult and time-consuming to debug. — Richard Kunz Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Chats with colleagues are crucial
Scientific progress is not only about finding answers efficiently but also about exchanging perspectives, challenging assumptions and developing ideas through conversation. Many of my best research ideas emerge from spontaneous discussions. — Sheng Bao Hong Kong, China.
If AI does it better, it should do it
As a doctor and health-care researcher, I must always put the interest of the patient first. So if AI does any task better than me, it should replace me on that task. That is scary, but my hope is that AI will augment and not replace my calling to care for others, my human touch, my curiosity-driven research, the fun of co-creating with other people and the moral compass for health-equity improvement. — Enrique Falceto De Barros Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Writing is thinking
I’m not interested in having chatbots take over my writing and reviewing tasks. Writing helps me to realize what aspects I still don’t understand. Reviewing others’ work lets me put on my critical-thinking hat. Even writing boring e-mails helps me to remember to work on strong and effective communication skills. — Anna Hodshire Fort Collins, Colorado.
An interview needs a person
I prefer to handle primary data collection, on-site observation and in-person interviews myself. This includes the use of in-depth questionnaires and fieldwork surveys, and speaking to people receiving medical treatment. These tasks demand empathy, flexible, on-the-spot responses and professional face-to-face communication. AI cannot access real-world scenarios to gather authentic first-hand materials, so I will never leave this part to algorithms. — Liao Mengchao Beijing, China.
