Can GenAI Improve Academic Performance? Evidence from the Social and Behavioral Sciences

TL;DR

This study investigates how Generative AI adoption influences research productivity and quality in social sciences, revealing significant productivity boosts and moderate quality improvements, especially among early-career and non-English-speaking researchers.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that GenAI tools can enhance academic output and inclusivity, highlighting their potential to lower structural barriers in research.

Findings

GenAI adoption increases research productivity.

GenAI leads to moderate improvements in publication quality.

Effects are strongest among early-career and non-English-speaking researchers.

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of Generative AI (GenAI) adoption on scientific productivity and quality in the social and behavioral sciences. Using matched author-level panel data and a difference-in-differences design, we find that GenAI adoption is associated with sizable increases in research productivity, measured by the number of published papers. It also leads to moderate gains in publication quality, based on journal impact factors. These effects are most pronounced among early-career researchers, authors working in technically complex subfields, and those from non-English-speaking countries. The results suggest that GenAI tools may help lower some structural barriers in academic publishing and promote more inclusive participation in research.