Is AI Making Researchers Worse at Writing? Scientific Writing & Critical Thinking

Is AI Making Researchers Worse at Writing? Scientific Writing & Critical Thinking

Do we still need to learn how to write when AI can generate polished text in seconds?Sources:Hagit Meishar-Tal (2025) Scientific writing in the age of generative AI:usage patterns and ethical considerations among Israeli researchers https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.ub.gu.se/doi/pdf/10.1080/10508422.2025.2562589?needAccess=trueMatina’s article on freewriting: Freewriting: write your science clearly, easily and with joyA practical guide to using freewriting to improve scientific writing: https://writingscientist.com/freewriting/The book Matina mentioned in our chat: Oliver Burkman’s 4,000 WeeksSubscribe to LiteraNeo for thoughtful conversations about AI, society, knowledge, and the future of human skills.Chapters:00:00 Do we still need to learn how to write?00:28 Introduction to Matina01:22 How AI is entering academic writing02:28 AI helps with boring tasks — but not meaningful thinking03:42 Is AI making writing more efficient?04:16 When AI speeds up bad writing06:39 How to test whether AI helps your writing07:32 Desirable difficulties and meaningful effort09:07 Where junior researchers struggle with writing09:47 Top-down writers and perfectionism11:05 Bottom-up writers and structure problems12:56 Architect vs gardener writing styles13:23 When AI changes the meaning of your text14:37 Writing and thinking are tightly connected15:13 AI in scientific writing and authorship16:36 Why AI is not a lab member or co-author19:28 Why human oversight is harder than it sounds21:16 Writing helps reveal gaps in thinking23:08 Why paraphrasing should not be outsourced to AI24:38 Could AI weaken young researchers’ skills?25:21 AI, quantity over quality, and homogenised research27:02 Cognitive anchoring and AI-generated ideas27:49 Human first, AI second29:22 Protecting cognitive abilities when using AI30:31 Why AI should ask before answering33:04 How to use AI without taking the easiest shortcut34:08 Researchers noticing weaker thinking from heavy AI use35:36 Advice for using generative AI wisely36:49 Freewriting as private thinking practice39:03 Matina’s magic-wand technology40:49 Final reflections

Why Trust Is Now Vulnerable? Cybersecurity in the Age of AI

What happens when AI can copy the voice of someone you trust? Artificial intelligence is changing digital security, cyber scams, malware, phishing, and human trust.Ivan and I discuss why cybersecurity is no longer only about hackers and computers. It is also about the digital environment around us: phones, bank accounts, vehicles, apps, personal data, and the everyday choices we make online.SourceCasiraghi, L. (2025, February 9). Italian elite targeted by scammers using AI voice impersonation. Bloomberg.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-09/italian-elite-targeted-by-scammers-using-ai-voice-impersonationMercer, S., & Watson, T. (2024, June). Generative AI in cybersecurity: Assessing impact on current and future malicious software. Centre for Emerging Technology and Security, The Alan Turing Institute https://cetas.turing.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-06/cetas_briefing_paper_-_generative_ai_in_cybersecurity.pdfChapters00:00 AI voice scams and the new threat to trust01:15 Introduction to cybersecurity and AI02:25 What cybersecurity actually means04:22 What is malware?05:36 How AI changes attackers and defenders07:23 AI, phishing, voice cloning, and fake identities10:08 Why AI makes online trust more fragile13:06 Is it risky to share private data on WhatsApp?15:06 How attackers think about targets16:45 BankID, scams, and social engineering in Sweden18:22 White-hat vs black-hat hackers20:13 Practical advice for using new technology21:56 The technology Ivan would create with a magic wand24:28 Why the future may need less technology24:49 Final reflection: technology, trust, and cybersecurity#Cybersecurity#DigitalTrust#AIScams

AI and the Future of Innovation

What happens when machines start shaping how we innovate?In the age of generative AI, this is becoming a real question. In this episode, Arvid Lunde and I discuss how generative AI is used in collaborative prototyping within real innovation settings. We explore how AI can support idea generation, knowledge transfer, and alignment between different stakeholders.We also discuss the limits of AI-supported innovation: where does responsibility sit, and in whose hands?Listen until the end to hear what Arvid would create if he had a magic wand. His answer raises a bigger question about the kind of society we want to build.

Would you Let an AI Agent Decide for You?

When people start interacting with AI less like a tool and more like a teammate, does that actually change how we think and work?We often talk about efficiency and automation, but rarely about how these systems quietly reshape our way of understanding and making decisions.In this episode, Jasmine and I discuss how AI is used in everyday work, and what it means to collaborate with these technologies. We explore different ways of working with AI tools, how to exploit the opportunities AI provides, and how to maintain responsibility. Jasmine shares a sneak peek of an AI agent she is working on for her master’s thesis project.Chapters00:00 Intro00:38 Jasmine intro01:39 AI and technology change03:41 AI innovation04:13 AI as a teammate04:30 Assimilation with AI04:44 Accommodation with AI05:02 AI fears and concerns07:30 AI awareness08:03 Social media and AI training10:06 AI in organisations12:26 AI as a cognitive partner12:42 AI agents14:03 Checking AI sources15:18 Copilot and work data16:02 Personalised AI agents17:27 Predictive maintenance17:36 AI risks and dependency18:45 Trusting AI decisions20:33 Jasmine’s advice21:44 Magic wand question24:08 ClosingsourcePark, M. J. (2026). AI as a cognitive collaborator: Assimilation and accommodation in human–machine teaming for innovation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2025.100892

The Future of Transport: Who Will Have Control?

When algorithms start becoming part of our everyday lives, does that actually change anything for us? We often talk about technology shaping the future, but we rarely stop to think about the systems that quietly structure daily life. Transport is one of them. In this conversation, Fabian and I discuss the tension between personal freedom and safety risks. And if, like me, you struggle with preparing meals for your workday, listen until the end to hear what Fabian would create if he had a magic wand. Sources: Al-Khalili, J. (2017). What’s next?: Even scientists can’t predict the future—or can they?De Freitas, J., Zhou, X., Atzei, M., Boardman, S., & Lillo, L. D. (2025). Public perception and autonomous vehicle liability. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 35, 551–566. https://doi-org.ezproxy.ub.gu.se/10.1002/jcpy.1448International Transport Forum. (2024). Annual report 2024. https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/irtad-road-safety-annual-report-2024.pdfRaue, M., D'Ambrosio, L. A., Ward, C., Lee, C., Jacquillat, C., & Coughlin, J. F. (2019). The influence of feelings while driving regular cars on the perception and acceptance of self-driving cars. Risk Analysis, 39(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13267https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.ub.gu.se/doi/epdf/10.1111/risa.13267