The Practicalities and Philosophy of Using AI in Academic Research: A Conversation with Professors Simona Botti and Michael Haenlein

In this eighth episode of PhDreams, Alex and Anatoli are joined by Professor Simona Botti from London Business School and Professor Michael Haenlein from ESCP Business School in Paris to take a deep dive into one of the most pressing questions in academia today: How should we deal with the rise of artificial intelligence in the research and peer-review process?
We discuss the sense—and sometimes nonsense—of journal AI policies, why asking PhD students to work the way their advisors did 30 years ago may no longer make much sense, and how the academic system itself might need to evolve as AI becomes an increasingly integral part of research and publishing.
Beyond the practicalities, we also explore some bigger questions: Which academic skills will remain essential in the age of AI? What should we outsource to LLMs—and what should we deliberately continue doing ourselves? And could the growing use of AI ultimately change the joy and fulfillment we derive from creating academic work?
Tune in for an open, thoughtful, and refreshingly candid conversation with two leading scholars who have been at the forefront of thinking about what AI means for academic research.
If you'd like to suggest a topic or submit a question for a future episode, send us a text or voice recording at phdreams.podcast@gmail.com.