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SciPoll 855: In 2025, AI: Harm or help?

Has your level of concern/optimism changed over time?”

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Results
(206 Answers)

Answer Explanations

  • Optimism remained the same
    user-152420
    Always,saw huge potential 
  • Optimism remained the same
    user-377267
    The situation has not changed fundamentally, nor did my judgement.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-562726
    i have been using AI as an early adaptor for all fields of my life and the level of improvement and usability over a short period of time makes me very optimistic. 
  • Pessimism increased
    user-371703
    I have seen more AI mathematical failures occurring and when pointed out to the AI program, corrections are based on faulty assumptions.  I have wondered if the general AI programs (those that are free to use) utilize too much from sources like Wikipedia?  The entries there are not entirely well reviewed and thus could end up with errors being generated by AI processes.  
  • Pessimism increased
    user-234128
    In the college system, too many students misuse the technology as a way to save time and take shortcuts, at the expense of developing time management and writing skills
  • Pessimism increased
    user-952727
    There is am general fear of unemployment and social margination all around the world.
  • Optimism decreased
    user-194025
    While the immediate benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are undeniable—offering unprecedented efficiency, accuracy, and access to information—we must confront its profound and negative impact on human cognitive capacity.

    The over-reliance on AI for tasks requiring calculation, critical reasoning, and pattern recognition is effectively outsourcing our fundamental intellectual labor. As AI systems become more adept at generating content and solving complex problems, the human mind risks becoming complacent, leading to the atrophy of the very cognitive muscles that define intelligence.

    We are, perhaps inadvertently, creating a future generation that is functionally barbaric in nature—a population highly skilled at consuming and aggregating AI-generated output but lacking the core human ability to think, struggle, and discover independently. The convenience of AI comes at the cost of deep intellectual engagement, potentially leaving future minds duller and less resilient than our own.

  • Pessimism increased
    user-228501
    I've heard concerning interviews with investigative reporters and inventors of AI, and its promoters are often aggressively optimistic and seem to often neglect negative consequences. On the other hand, the tools are extremely useful and help to handle the growing volume of scientific knowledge and literature.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-540700
    At the same time my optimism increased substantially AND my pessimism increased significantly. Both can be true depending on how AI is used and which training data are used 
  • Optimism decreased
    user-701806
    At first I thought that AI could generate regulatory dossiers until I learned about the hallucinations.
  • Pessimism increased
    user-887652
    There have been no obvious improvements.
  • Optimism decreased
    user-284488
    See above. I do think it can be useful in some instances, but I see too many uses that are trivial and a waste of the electric power.
  • Pessimism increased
    user-802001
    When it was just scientific, there was hope for good.  The public drives toward the bottom, sadly.
  • Optimism remained the same
    user-568782
    My optimism level remains the same provided the requirements needed for using AI are fulfilled over the time.
  • Pessimism decreased
    user-722545
    As I have seen AI applied more by members of my field, I have seen the benefits of AI as a tool. 
  • Pessimism decreased
    user-510547
    In my field (Semiconductor industry), AI-tools already doing more good than harm - accelerating product design (First Time Right -FTR) and improving wafer Fabs efficiency (e.g. Digital Twins). GenAI, in contrast, remains useless destruction thus far and yet another risk item throughout semiconductor products lifecycle 
  • Optimism general increased
    user-845512
     My optimism has increased over time—not due to blind trust in technology, but because of consistent evidence of responsible AI applications in socially significant domains. In recent projects, I have witnessed how AI, when guided by ethical principles and explainable models, enhances resource efficiency, improves environmental monitoring accuracy, and broadens access to knowledge. While regulatory and governance challenges remain, the technical maturity achieved in recent years shows that AI’s transformative potential can be managed safely, productively, and transparently. 
  • Optimism general increased
    user-853228
    Help solve diagnosis
  • Optimism remained the same
    user-550886
     neant
  • Optimism general increased
    user-612998
    Ok
  • Optimism general increased
    user-584115
     My optimism has increased as AI has moved from a hypothetical promise to delivering tangible, practical results. We are now actively using AI-driven tools for metagenomic analysis and protein modeling, tasks that were previously considered impossible just a few years ago. Seeing it work in practice removes the initial skepticism. 
  • Optimism general increased
    user-439856
    AI tools are already in use. Was skeptical previously, but current AI applications already performing beyond expectation. 
  • Other
    user-773118
    Do what we are doing and try not to be interupted too much by AI.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-72485
    At the beginning I was sceptic about the topic, but now that the AI tools are spreading and are more precise, I'm optimistic about its implementiation in some aspects of our work. Of course there should be limitations about its use
  • Optimism general increased
    user-13957
    When AI tools first began gaining public attention, my perspective (and that of many observers) was highly optimistic. The focus was on their transformative potential: faster research, better communication, personalized learning, and automation that could free humans for more meaningful work. The early excitement was about innovation and accessibility.

    As AI systems have become more powerful and widespread, my view has become more balanced and nuanced. The real-world consequences—both positive and negative—have become clearer:

    • Increased concern has grown around misinformation, deepfakes, data privacy, and the potential for bias and manipulation.

    • Awareness has deepened around how AI can amplify inequalities or be misused in surveillance, disinformation, and even warfare.

    • However, optimism remains strong, especially as ethical frameworks, transparency standards, and responsible AI research have gained traction. We’ve seen real progress in using AI for healthcare, accessibility, climate modeling, and education.

    So, while my early outlook was unquestioningly optimistic, it’s now cautiously optimistic—tempered by an appreciation for the complexity of deploying such powerful tools responsibly.

  • Optimism general increased
    user-488995
    There is a great future in this thing ..
  • Pessimism increased
    user-161126
    The incredibly rapid adoption of AI in business applications has increased my pessimism including the layoff of thousands of people from their jobs. This lack of understanding of what makes a economically healthy, just, and culturally diverse society is concerning as well. An narrow vision of "we don't need to pay humans, we just need well designed AI" by the corporate world is such a lack of understanding of how societies thrive, beyond how corporations get rich. This is what concerns me.  AI can aid in advancing discoveries in medicine and science more rapidly but it can have serious costs to society without oversight.
  • Pessimism increased
    user-480186
    Seeing how AI is changing our world has naturally led to increasing pessimism.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-321125
    Initially I barely knew anything about ai and viewed it in a negative light, however as I learned how to actually benefit from it, it has made my tasks easier. 
  • Optimism remained the same
    user-325101
    I want to look at it optimistically from the beginning, because it can save time when directed.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-293962
    There has been continuing rapid progress in the underlying technology, such as incorporation of tree-of-thought technology into commercially available LLMs.
  • Pessimism increased
    user-825962
    Not only fake news, but fake firms, fake conferences!!!
  • Optimism general increased
    user-492609
    Now we know more clearly limits and perspctives
  • Pessimism increased
    user-259567
    Turn 65 and nobody will hire myself for a professional position. All they want is 40 yr olds with my level of experience. I've given up on the industry.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-542532
     Yes, my level of optimism has increased over time. As AI tools have matured and demonstrated tangible value in research, data analysis, diagnostics, and decision support, my confidence in their positive impact has grown. Early uncertainties regarding reliability and ethical implications have been progressively addressed through better models, stronger regulatory frameworks, and improved transparency. Overall, I now view AI as an increasingly reliable and beneficial partner in advancing scientific and medical research. 
  • Optimism general increased
    user-910833
    Yes—my view has shifted over time. As AI capabilities have grown, my awareness of the risks has increased, especially around misuse and misinformation. At the same time, seeing practical, beneficial applications has made me more optimistic about AI’s positive impact. Overall, my perspective has become more balanced: cautious about the challenges but increasingly confident in AI’s potential when used responsibly
  • Optimism remained the same
    user-521272
    since long, It is same.
  • Pessimism increased
    user-616368
    Many students have stopped reading and working hard to obtain their degrees, relying on summaries obtained with AI.
  • Optimism remained the same
    user-225825
    The AI could be fine for introductory part, literature survey, information collection.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-305063
    I've learned more about how I might be able to use AI to speed my work.
  • Optimism general increased
    user-178012
    1. Improved transparency and interpretability of AI tools
      Over time, AI models in pharmaceutical chemistry and preclinical research have become more explainable, improving trust and appropriate use in safety-critical decision making.

    2. Better integration with experimental and regulatory workflows
      AI is increasingly used to support—not replace—experimental validation, formulation optimization, and safety assessment, aligning well with regulatory expectations.

    3. Clearer understanding of limitations and risk mitigation
      Growing awareness of data bias, model uncertainty, and ethical constraints has led to more responsible adoption, particularly in areas involving developmental and infant health.

    4. Demonstrated practical value in research efficiency
      AI has shown measurable benefits in literature synthesis, property prediction, and hypothesis prioritization, reinforcing its role as a supportive scientific tool.