How will Gen-Z researchers fare in an AI-fashioned scholarly environment? A thematic literature review

This literature review sets the scene for the new Harbingers study: Gen Z researchers – the scholarly attitudes and behaviours of the ‘new’ researchers of the future. Reported here is what is already known to be the consequences of the integration of AI into academe for researchers, in general, and for early career researchers, in particular, exploring inter alia how the new generation of ECRs might fit into the AI developments taking place. The review first looks at the realities awaiting the new researchers, fashioned as these have been by the consequences of the integration of AI into their activities. Next, attempting to understand from the literature how Gen-Z ECRs might fit into the developments taking place, the review examines those generational characteristics and specific circumstances of theirs that might have an impact on their entrance to academe. As we found no studies on Gen-Z researchers, aside from a pathfinding study that we have conducted, we depended on clues seeded in the wider literature on Gen-Zs in general, as well as on post-docs or novice researchers. There is some basis to conclude that Gen-Z ECRs will be more pragmatic in their approach to the integration of AI tools into their work for the sake of efficiency. However, the jury is out on their transformative powers.