How Experience Moderates the Impact of Generative AI on the Research Process

Matthias Tröbinger, Anil R. Doshi, and Sen Chai

Research Policy, 2026

In performing research tasks, researchers are increasingly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies—large language models, in particular. Across two studies, we show that one’s research experience is key in understanding how researchers receive generative AI suggestions when formulating new research ideas: experience negatively moderates the effect of generative AI on perceived novelty and impact of the researcher’s idea, and on views of one’s own research agendas. By focusing on the critical moment of idea generation, we provide an initial understanding of how researchers respond to generative AI at a moment when the paradigm of human knowledge production may be shifting from a human-only to a joint human-AI model.

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