Cited by 16Artificial Intelligence in EducationArtificial Intelligence ApplicationsArtificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education

Generative AI and academic scientists in US universities: Perception, experience, and adoption intentions

Open access
Arroyo-Machado, Wenceslao, Ma, Jinghuan, Chen, Tipeng, Johnson, Timothy P., Islam, Shaika, Michalegko, Lesley, Welch, Eric·2025·PLOS One

Abstract

The integration of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) into academia has sparked interest and debate among academic scientists. This paper explores the early adoption and perceptions of US academic scientists regarding the use of generative AI in teaching and research activities. To do so, this analysis focuses exclusively on STEM fields due to their high exposure to rapid technological advancements. Drawing from a nationally representative survey of 232 respondents, we examine academic scientists’ attitudes, experiences, and intentions regarding AI adoption. Results indicate that 65% of respondents have utilized generative AI in teaching or research activities, with 20% applying it in both areas. Among those currently using AI, 84% intend to continue its application, indicating a high level of confidence in its perceived benefits. AI is most frequently used in teaching to develop pedagogical materials (51%) and in research for writing, reviewing, and editing tasks (40%). Despite concerns about misinformation, with 78% of respondents indicating it as their top concern regarding AI, there is broad recognition of AI’s potential impact on society. Most academic scientists have already integrated AI into their academic activities, demonstrating cautious yet optimistic adoption due to perceived risks. Furthermore, there is strong support for academic-led regulation of AI, highlighting the need for responsible governance to maximize benefits while minimizing risks in educational and research settings.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0330416

Cites

83 of 86 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • 65% of STEM academic scientists report using generative AI in teaching or research activities.

    “Adoption extends to instructors as well: 65% of STEM academic scientists report using generative AI in teaching or research activities [5].”

    From The Due Process Deficit: Auditing AI Governance in U.S. Higher Education (2026) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Abstract and Discussion say that 65% of surveyed STEM academic scientists used generative AI in teaching or research. However, the Results distinguish 65% who used it for any purpose from 40% who used it in teaching or research; the remaining 25% used it for other functions. The cited paper is internally inconsistent on the figure in the claim. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [2]Generative AI. Cambridge; 2025. Available from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/generative-ai
  2. [15]Teichler U. Global perspectives on higher education: conceptual frameworks, comparative perspectives, empirical findings. Higher Education and the World of Work. BRILL; 2009. p. 331– 3. doi: 10.1163/9789087907563 · DOI
  3. [76]American Association for Public Opinion Research. Standard definitions: final dispositions of case codes and outcome rates for surveys; 2023. Available from: https://aapor.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Standards-Definitions-10th-edition.pdf

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Arroyo-Machado, W., Ma, J., Chen, T., Johnson, T. P., Islam, S., Michalegko, L., & Welch, E.
Affiliations
  • Arizona State University (US)
  • University of Illinois Chicago (US)
Venue
PLOS One
Published
2025-08-28
Volume
20
Issue
8
Pages
e0330416
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4413786615
Cited by
15
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 2
FWCI
15.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Artificial Intelligence in Education
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Artificial Intelligence Applications
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
Keywords
generative AI, academic scientists, AI adoption intention, attitudes toward AI, AI in teaching, artificial intelligence in research, STEM education, AI governance, responsible AI use, American universities
MeSH terms
Artificial Intelligence, Attitude, Female, Humans, Male, Perception, Surveys and Questionnaires, Research Personnel, United States, Universities, Intention

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review