Artificial intelligence is changing the way we conduct research, design experiments and draft grant proposals. The National Science Centre, alongside other research-funding agencies, is adapting its policies to this rapidly growing field.
“Agencies around the world are not adopting an overly restrictive approach to this change. The NCN is no exception,” says Krzysztof Jóźwiak, NCN Director. “We are well aware that AI impacts science, including drafting proposals, not only in terms of summaries or language revisions but also other elements.”
AI Support: Researchers Responsible for AI-Generated Contents
According to the NCN, AI support is allowed for the purposes of summaries, translations, images or language revisions. However, researchers must carefully verify any AI-generated contents at their risk, in particular in terms of research integrity, copyright and ethical aspects.
“According to the NCN, researchers are allowed to use AI but must be aware of the risks involved,” says Prof. Jóźwiak.
Reviews as Products of Individual Effort
The NCN clearly states that experts must not use AI support to evaluate proposals. “It will be strictly prohibited to use language models for reviews,” says Prof. Jóźwiak. “Reviewers sign NDAs which means that they are not allowed to upload proposals to external tools, including AI-powered tools. Their reviews must remain a product of individual effort.”
Prof. Jóźwiak announces that the National Science Centre is intending to use AI-powered tools for some routine analyses. “We will implement tools to support and improve the evaluation procedure in the nearest future,” he says.
The National Science Centre will follow up on the development of AI and legal regulations, and will update its approach, if needed.