HeFDI Data Week: Please meet AI, our dear new colleague. In other words: can scientists and machines truly cooperate?

As in many professional fields, the question arises in science as to what a future division of labour between AI and scientists could and should look like. With their 'AI Scientists', Lu et al. (2024) promise a fully automated research process carried out solely by large language models. The AI scientist works faster and more cost-effectively than the human counterpart, but so far also without taking (research) ethical concerns into account. In conclusion, the most likely and desirable outcome does not seem to be the abandonment of humans in research, but rather cooperation between AI and human scientists. AI could take over routine and painstaking work and serve as a brainstorming partner. There would be great potential here for all disciplines; the exact form should be set out in subject-specific guidelines. Important note: The recording of the presentation given during HeFDI Data Week can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQ3cC1NaI8Further recordings from HeFDI Data Week can also be found on the YouTube channel.