Artificial Intelligence and Academic Research in Contemporary Society: Evidence from University Academics

Abstract

Background:  In recent years, academics have been able to use artificial intelligence as a powerful tool for their writing, research, and collaboration. Artificial intelligence facilitates research and writing more quickly, enhances collaboration, and offers new insights to the academic community. Researchers have focused less on the efficacy and dependability of employing artificial intelligence for academic research in Nigeria despite the technology's significance for research in academia globally.

Objective: The study investigated how artificial intelligence is affecting academic research in Nigeria, specifically focusing on the Faculty of Social Sciences at Delta University in Agbor, Delta State.

Methodology: This study applied the research survey design and collected data from 97 academic researchers at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Delta University's Agbor, Delta State. A purposeful sampling technique was used to choose a sample of respondents, and the primary source data collection method was adopted. The study's data were analysed using regression analysis, correlation analysis, and the t-test.

Result: Artificial intelligence has a major and overwhelmingly positive impact on academic research in Nigeria, particularly for Faculty of Social Sciences members at Delta University Agbor, Delta State. Tasks that would typically require a lot of manual labour, like data collection, data analysis, predictive modelling, and the automation of literature reviews, are now being revolutionised by artificial intelligence, offering a hopeful glimpse into the future of academic research.
intelligence has affected academic research.

Conclusion: Academic research is positively and significantly impacted by artificial intelligence. Technologies related to artificial intelligence present a very bright future for Nigerian academic researchers.

Unique Contribution: In the Nigerian context, the study has offered empirical support for comprehending the relationship between artificial intelligence and scholarly academic research.

Key Recommendation: Academic institutions should develop and adopt clear ethical standards and guidelines for using artificial intelligence in academic research. These policies should cover data security, AI usage transparency, possible biases, and the validation of results generated with AI assistance.