Expert narratives on AI signal a new era for science education

Led by Professor Sibel Erduran, with team members Ho-Yin Chan and Ivan Au, the Project AI-Vision team examined how experts talk about AI in major scientific publications. Funded by the John Fell Fund, the project analysed 151 scientists’ commentaries published between 2021 and 2024 in Nature and Science.

The findings, published in Research in Science Education, show that discussions of AI address multiple dimensions of the nature of science, with scientific practices as a central concept. However, surrounding these practices, social values are emerging as key considerations for utilising AI as a tool for scientific research and social contributions.

Professor Sibel Erduran, Professor of Science Education, said: “Expert commentaries serve as valuable resources for aligning science education with contemporary accounts of scientific research, and as such they signal a new era for science education in the age of AI, where the social and institutional aspects of science play a major role.”

The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 marked a clear turning point. The analysis shows that scientists’ attention shifted from purely epistemic concerns such as data, methods and reasoning, toward social and institutional dimensions, including ethics, governance, and political structures shaping scientific knowledge.

Dr Erduran continues: “Embracing a more socially embedded understanding of the nature of science could help future scientists and citizens critically engage with AI and other emerging technologies.”

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