Is it wise to use AI for research? Will it enhance or diminish the research quality? Nishchay Shah, the Chief Technology Officer and Head of AI Products at Cactus Communications, speaks about the role of AI in academic research. Cactus Communications provides AI-powered scholarly publishing solutions to academic publishers and researchers. It also incubates seed and early-stage startups that share the mission of solving global problems with science and technology solutions.

From its inception to analyzing results and deriving conclusions, research undergoes numerous stages. What are the stages of research in which AI models aid a researcher? 

The research ecosystem includes diverse stakeholders including researchers, publishers, reviewers, universities, institutions, funders, libraries, and readers, each with unique needs. At Cactus Communications (CACTUS), we have developed cutting-edge AI products and solutions that support every stage of the research process from pre-submission, submission, and post publishing research communication. 

Literature Review: AI helps researchers conduct extensive literature reviews by scanning and summarizing relevant papers. CACTUS’s R Discovery is an AI-based literature search and research reading platform that provides instant access to academic articles, including peer-reviewed, open access content. Its proprietary algorithm learns from the user’spreferences and reading patterns, adjusting the search in real time to recommend the most relevant and summarized research.  

Manuscript Writing: Researchers use AI while writing their manuscripts for grammar, style, and content suggestions.Our product, Paperpal is an AI writing assistant that help authors write better and produce high quality manuscripts faster by providing real-time language and grammar correction, submission readiness checks. Paperpal improves writing quality and efficiency, enhancing the chances of faster acceptance and publication.  

Graphical Abstracts: AI aids in designing graphical abstracts, infographics and scientific posters to assist researchers present compelling narratives. Mind The Graph, an AI-powered tool by CACTUS is designed to simplify the creation of visually engaging stories that effectively communicate scientific research.  

Review and Ethical Considerations: Publishers and peer reviewers use AI to review submitted manuscripts for potential misconduct, plagiarism, and adherence to ethical standards. Our solution, Paperpal Preflight for Editorial Desk, is a comprehensive suite that assists publishers and journal editors evaluate incoming submissions for language and technical quality. 

Data Interpretation and Visualization: AI tools help interpret complex data sets and visualizing results in a comprehensible manner, making it easier for researchers to draw meaningful conclusions from their data. 

Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Technology enables seamless geographic collaboration among researchers, publishers, and institutions; promoting knowledge sharing and innovation.  

The world is still adjusting to AI and LLMs' inception. Will the use of generative AI like ChatGPT negatively impact research quality? 

The widespread adoption of user-friendly AI tools has simplified research workflows, however, challenges persist. 

The emergence of paper mills, and potential compromise of research integrity are significant downside raising concerns about the authenticity and credibility of research outputs, proliferating the spread of misinformation within academia. To mitigate these risks, it is imperative to implement robust mechanisms for detecting and addressing plagiarism and safeguarding integrity of research.  

Conversely, AI can enhance productivity by automating repetitive tasks, providing assistance in areas such as literature search, writing, formatting, and manuscript error checks, freeing up researcher’s time for more critical and creative endeavours.  

This highlights the importance of adopting a hybrid approach that combines the analytical power of AI with the nuanced judgement and expertise of human for more comprehensive and efficient solution.  

Do you think that students working on their final year research projects and other PhD aspirants should be using AI for their research? Why? 

AI is invaluable for PhD students, aiding in data analysis, research communication, trend identification, and translating research into native languages. However, the PhD aspirants must approach the use of AI in research with caution. It is crucial to use AI responsibly and ethically, with a strong understanding of its fundamentals, limitations, and potential biases. Ensuring the validity and credibility of research is paramount, and AI should enhance rather than replace critical thinking and domain expertise. If applied ethically, AI can significantly support PhD aspirants, maintaining research integrity. 

Can you explain the goals and objectives of Cactus Communications? What are the AI tools developed by the company to help researchers? How are the company's activities specifically relevant for Indian researchers, addressing their unique challenges and needs? 

At CACTUS, our mission is to enable people to reach their highest potential by enhancing research quality and accessibility, transparency and ethical standards in publishing and boosting global collaboration. Researchers face challenges in navigating the publication process, including funding, publishing, and research communication.  

To support the scientific research ecosystem, CACTUS has developed various AI tools and solutions; 

Paperpal: An AI writing assistant to refine manuscripts 

Mind The Graph: An online platform for illustrations 

R Discovery: A research discovery platform 

Digital Media Solutions: Offers engaging content formats, including plain language summaries, research news stories, infographics, videos 

Scientific Editing Pro: English editing by senior editors and content review by peer review experts from top journals  

Premium Editing: English editing to enhance language and the structure, logic, and flow of the manuscript  

In India, while strides have been made in the scientific research domain, there remains a necessity for right infrastructure, dedicated budgets and investments. CACTUS has been actively providing end-to-end research impact communication services, solutions and publication support services to researchers, institutions, publishers, academic societies, life science organizations, funders, and government bodies. 

What are the key challenges limiting the true potential of Indian researchers? How can this be mitigated with AI? 

Despite the strides made, researchers face hurdles like limited access to high-quality research materials, databases, advanced technology tools, financial limitations, language barriers, and capacity-building opportunities. The pressure to publish in high-impact journals can lead to stress and unethical practices, while limited international collaboration restricts the exchange of ideas and access to cutting-edge research.  

Integrating AI into their workflow can help Indian researchers overcome barriers, leading to more efficient, high-quality, and impactful research outcomes. AI-powered platforms provide instant access to vast repositories of academic articles, bridging the gap in research resources. Tools utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) enhance academic writing by ensuring proper language and formatting to suit the journal requirement. AI can analyse research data to identify ethical issues, plagiarism, and methodological flaws before submission, leading to higher research quality and integrity.