Foresight: Use and impact of Artificial Intelligence in the scientific process 2023
This report highlights how European Research Council (ERC) funded researchers are using artificial intelligence in their scientific processes and how they view its potential impact by 2030. It summarises the findings of a foresight survey conducted among ERC grantees regarding their present use of AI, future developments, opportunities, and risks. The document aims to provide evidence to inform policies related to AI in science.
Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.
Who issued it
Who it governs
Researchers, policymakers, and institutional leaders seeking insight into the current and future integration of artificial intelligence in scientific research.
What the document contains
The document covers the present use and future prospects of artificial intelligence and generative AI in scientific research based on a foresight survey of European Research Council grantees. It addresses current applications across scientific domains, institutional support, perceived opportunities and benefits, and major challenges and risks projected toward 2030.
The report does not provide binding regulatory requirements, specific enforcement mechanisms, or formal policy recommendations.
- Artificial intelligence is widely used across various scientific fields for domain-specific tasks and cross-cutting applications.
- The survey of ERC grantees indicates that AI is predominantly viewed as a support tool or research assistant rather than an autonomous agent.
- Key opportunities for 2030 include accelerating data analysis, improving research processes, and fostering human-AI collaboration.
- Principal concerns include a lack of transparency and replicability, potential risks of bias, and the spread of false information via generative AI.
- Ethical guidelines are widely seen as necessary to address privacy, algorithmic fairness, and the prevention of misuse in scientific research.
· Context · Methodology · 1. Present use of AI in the scientific process · 2. Future developments and applications · 3. Future opportunities and challenges · 4. Future perspectives on generative AI · Key takeaways · References · Acknowledgments · Annex: ERC survey
How it scores
Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.
Fairness
2/5Non-discrimination and equitable treatment
These guidelines would address concerns such as privacy and data protection, algorithmic fairness, and the prevention of potential misuse.
I 8
screening score · 2026-10-23
Human Dignity
0/5Respect for the inherent worth of persons
screening score · 2026-10-23
Human Oversight
2/5Humans remain in control of consequential decisions
Instead of AI systems acting as autonomous agents, our survey results point more towards a collaboration between human scientists and AI .
I 7
screening score · 2026-10-23
Privacy
2/5Protection of personal data and private life
These guidelines would address concerns such as privacy and data protection, algorithmic fairness, and the prevention of potential misuse.
I 8
screening score · 2026-10-23
Transparency
2/5Openness about how AI systems work and are used
Other concerns were also raised, closer to the internal workings of the scientific endeavor. These included the risk of bias in data or models due to non-representative sampling, inaccurate labeling, low-quality curation, among others (71% ‘highly likely’ or ‘likely’). Additionally, respondents expressed concerns about inequalities between researchers and organisations regarding access to training data, computing capacity, and maintenance costs of AI technologies (68%). Moreover, there were apprehensions about the reliance on correlation-driven models over deterministic approaches, with 66% expressing concern, and 14% indicating ‘don’t know’.
I 9
screening score · 2026-10-23
Enforcement
0/5Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force
screening score · 2026-10-23