CHEM 303: Laboratory in Biochemical Research (HC) Fall 2025

In general, gen AI models are are fundamentally different from search engines because they "generate" original content rather than retrieving existing content.

Google search

Similar Perplexity (gen AI) Prompt

Some gen AI models are geared toward literature searching--i.e. returning links to actual journal articles--but those require a paid subscription in many cases to get the best results. The majority of gen AI models provide summaries of information. 

NOTE: I'm not endorsing (or necessarily dissuading) your use of gen AI; I'm simply educating you since it's becoming ubiquitous

ALSO NOTE: The points below reflect my thoughts *today*. Gen AI is constantly evolving, and my thoughts may also evolve.

AND ALSO NOTE: Your professor's policy on gen AI overrides my thoughts below.

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Possible acceptable uses

• Clarify or confirm concepts you already know or know about
   
• Help understand concepts that are new to you, but only with the intention of verifying against other reputable sources
   
• Brainstorm ideas - research questions, syntheses, etc.
   
• Help gather vocabulary and search words around your topic
   
• Suggest a preliminary outline for your literature review
   
• Proofread text you've written

 ***Always disclose your use of gen AI!

Weaknesses/problems

• The average person does not know how to use gen AI effectively (esp. poor prompt writing)
   
• Ethical considerations
   
• Missing information
  • The corpus of information is limited; garbage in/garbage out and vice-versa
    • ChemRxiv (open) vs. Elsevier (paywalled)
    • Some publishers have licensed content to AI companies without telling authors who have signed away their rights in the publishing process (good for the corpus of information, but borders on unethical)
       
• Inaccurate information
  • If the AI model is trained on inaccurate data, it will output inaccurate data
  • Sources/references may simply be fake (AKA "hallucinations")
     
• Decreased critical thinking skills if you're using gen AI in a way that's counterintuitive to learning
  • Use gen AI to facilitate learning, not instead of learning

Comparison of PubMed and Claude search

*Takeaways*

Exercise good judgement: just because you can use gen AI in every workflow doesn’t mean you should use it in every workflow.

Always cross-check information you get from gen AI against reliable sources, such as peer-reviewed journal articles; i.e. avoid using gen AI output as your only source!

NIH guidance on the appropriate usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in the research application process (i.e. grant writing) (July 2025)

"NIH will not consider applications that are either substantially developed by AI, or contain sections substantially developed by AI, to be original ideas of applicants."

Why the new policy?

• AI use may result in plagiarism, fabricated citations, or other kinds of research misconduct. 
• AI makes it quicker (but not better!) to apply, and large numbers of applications from one PI burden the applicaiton review process.

The Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies is Prohibited for the NIH Peer Review Process (June 2023)

"The use of generative AI tools to output a peer reviewer critique on a specific grant application or contract proposal requires substantial and detailed information inputs. AI tools have no guarantee of where data are being sent, saved, viewed, or used in the future, and thus NIH is revising its Confidentiality Agreements for Peer Reviewers to clarify that reviewers are prohibited from using AI tools in analyzing and critiquing NIH grant applications and R&D contract proposals. Such actions violate NIH’s peer review confidentiality requirements."

Use of generative artificial intelligence technology in the NSF merit review process (December 2023)

• "NSF reviewers are prohibited from uploading any content from proposals, review information and related records to non-approved generative AI tools."
• "Proposers are encouraged to indicate in the project description the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop their proposal."

Why?

"Any information uploaded into generative AI tools not behind NSF's firewall is considered to be entering the public domain. As a result, NSF cannot preserve the confidentiality of that information."

EXAMPLE: ACS Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Best Practices and Policies at ACS Publications

Article Submission

"All use of AI tools should be disclosed within the submission."

"The editor may, at their discretion, determine that the AI use in a given submission is too extensive, including (but not limited to) AI tools used to generate substantive commentary or extensive literature reviews."

Peer Review

"ACS Publications journals ask for the expert opinion of consulted reviewers and expect that those opinions are those solely of the reviewer....Additionally, third party services such as AI tools may store or use any information provided as a prompt to generate future text, which could result in a breach of the confidentiality of the peer review process.