Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: This paper considers cases where AI is used to automate tasks perceived to be “mere routine” and inconvenient to researchers. We term such uses “Convenience AI” and characterise the set of assumptions involved in making claims of convenience in relation to the role of AI in scientific discovery. While Convenience AI can save resources and give rise to novel forms of inquiry, our analysis underscores how its uncritical adoption bears risks for knowledge production in science, also because it often betrays the very notion of convenience that it is meant to foster. Critically, we show how the consistent association of Convenience AI with the goals of productivity, efficiency, and ease can itself contribute to the epistemic challenges posed by AI.
Authors: Leonelli, Sabina, Mussgnug, Alexander
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163853539