Peer Review in the Age of Generative AI

Abstract

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), including recent generative forms, are significantly impacting our lives and work. A key aspect of our work as IS researchers is the publishing of research articles, for which peer review serves as the primary means of quality control. While there have been debates about whether and to what extent AI can replace researchers in various domains, including IS, we lack an in-depth understanding of how AI can impact the peer review process. Considering the high volume of submissions and limited reviewer resources, there is a pressing need to use AI to augment the review process. At the same time, advances in AI have been accompanied by concerns about biases introduced by AI tools and the ethics of using them, among other issues such as hallucinations. Thus, critical issues to understand are: how can AI augment and potentially automate the review process, what are the pitfalls in doing so, and what er the implications for IS research and peer review practice. I will offer my views on these issues in this opinion piece.