Field diffusion · General science

Elsevier survey measures accelerating AI use and weak governance support

A survey measurement of researcher AI adoption, governance confidence, training adequacy, and research-time pressure.

Summary

Elsevier's Researcher of the Future survey reports that researcher AI use rose from 37% in 2024 to 58% in 2025, while institutional governance and training lag behind adoption. The same release frames AI uptake alongside pressure on research time, funding expectations, and trust in peer review.

AI role

AI is measured as a research-work tool whose adoption, support structures, and perceived trust constraints are surveyed.

Narrative role

This gives the tracker another broad diffusion signal and highlights that adoption may be outpacing institutional support, a key condition for whether AI accelerates or destabilizes research workflows.

Caveat

The source is an industry survey summary and does not measure objective productivity or discovery outcomes.

Event

Date: 2025-11-04
Timeline role: Supporting
Progress relevance: Context signal
Validation: Not applicable

Evidence

Survey · Report

Observed metrics

researcher AI tool use: 58%; Elsevier reported results from more than 3,200 researchers across 113 countries. Comparator: 37% in 2024.
good institutional AI governance: 32%; Share of researchers globally who believe there is good AI governance at their institution.
adequate AI training: 27%; Share of researchers globally who believe they have adequate training in using AI.

Source: Elsevier ↗