Tempted to Use AI to Write Your Grant? Here's What To Consider
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The ever-expanding presence of artificial intelligence in our professional lives has reached the sacred territory of research grant writing, raising profound questions about scientific integrity and the nature of academic work. As someone who's spent a fair amount of time exploring these tools firsthand, I'm sharing my perspective on how researchers can navigate the use of these tools without compromising what makes their work valuable.
Grant writing isn't just an administrative task standing between you and your research—it's a fundamental component of the scientific process where ideas crystallize and projects take shape. When we frame grant writing this way, the appeal of AI shortcuts gets more complicated.
What exactly are you saving yourself time from when you outsource this critical thinking work? The pressure to produce more grants in less time stems from structural problems in academia that technology alone cannot solve.
Most researchers face overwhelming institutional expectations to secure funding while simultaneously teaching, providing service, and for many, delivering clinical care. The solution involves setting boundaries and clarifying priorities rather than finding technological workarounds. Even practically speaking, today's AI tools remain unreliable for academic writing—producing fabricated citations and requiring extensive verification that may actually increase your workload.
What makes your research valuable is your unique perspective, critical analysis, and deep understanding of your field—the elements that cannot and should not be delegated to a large language model. AI may be here to stay, but let's ensure that it enhances rather than diminishes the human intelligence at the heart of scientific advancement.
For more content on grant writing techniques, visit my YouTube channel where I share technical advice on NIH grant writing (or just google "Sarah Dobson NIH grant writing tips" and that should get you where you want to go)
Chapters
1. Introduction to AI in Grant Writing (00:00:00)
2. Core Philosophy of Grant Writing (00:06:20)
3. Challenging the Time-Saving Assumption (00:11:15)
4. Ethical Considerations for AI Use (00:17:32)
5. Protecting Intellectual Property (00:22:14)
6. Episode Closing and Resources (00:25:37)
90 episodes