AI Boosts Science, Narrows Inquiry

A Nature study finds scientists who adopt AI publish ~3× more papers, get ~4.8× more citations and lead projects earlier, but AI adoption also shrinks the diversity of research topics (~4.6%) and reduces inter‑scientist engagement (~22%). The pattern implies AI increases individual productivity while concentrating attention and possibly creating homogenized research agendas. — If AI both accelerates output and narrows what gets studied, science governance must weigh short‑term productivity gains against long‑run epistemic diversity, reproducibility and equitable distribution of research funding.