AI in peer review: can artificial intelligence be an ally in reducing gender and geographical gaps in peer review? A randomized trial

When not prompted to consider DEI, GPT-4o successfully identified expert scientists, but primarily males and those from high-income countries. However, when DEI was explicitly prompted, GPT-4o generated a gender-balanced and geographically diverse list of scientists. The academic productivity was considerably high and comparable between groups, suggesting that GPT-4o identified potentially skilled scientists who could reasonably serve as reviewers for scientific journals. These findings provide evidence that AI can be an ally in combating gender and geographical gaps in peer review, though DEI should be explicitly prompted. Conversely, AI could perpetuate existing biases if not carefully managed.