AI gets more 'meh' as you get to know it better, researchers discover

AI hype is colliding with reality yet again. Wiley's global survey of researchers finds more of them using the tech than ever, and fewer convinced it's up to the job.

Academic publisher Wiley noted a link between researchers' use of AI and their confidence in its ability to perform as well as a human in a preview of its second ExplanAItions study on researchers' use of the technology. There were also some signs that respondents are happy with AI's ability to assist their work, but plunging confidence is definitely the hot-ticket takeaway. 

Comparing this year's survey of researchers from around the globe, 2,430 of whom participated, Wiley found that 84 percent are using AI tools to aid their work, up from just 57 percent in 2024. Here's the kicker: 53 percent of respondents in 2024's ExplanAItions report [PDF] believed that AI was already ...