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Using AI as a Research Partner

đź’ˇ Core Idea: AI can enhance your research process, but it cannot replace creativity and agency.



In this learning module, you will learn how to:

  • Decide when and how to use AI in your research
  • Recognize how AI shapes the information you see
  • Maintain your agency, values, and integrity

Should I use AI in my research?

Students today face new questions:

  • Should I use AI to find sources?
  • Can I trust what it gives me?
  • How much should I rely on it for reading or writing?

There’s no single right answer—but there is your answer.

You choose how AI fits into your work.

How does generative AI work? When it gives me answers, where does the information come from?

(Infographic created by Google Gemini on 11 June 2026.)

Three infographics explain generative AI. The first compares traditional AI, which identifies or classifies information, with generative AI, which creates new content. The second shows that generative AI learns from large amounts of text and other public information to recognize patterns. The third explains that AI-generated content is the result of contributions from human creators, AI developers, and users who provide prompts.

What are the ways that AI can help with my research process?

AI can be a research tool or partner that provides support for your information gathering and synthesizing process.

Some ways that AI can assist you in the research process:

  • Brainstorming  
  • Narrowing topic ideas 
  • Overcoming blind spots  
  • Uncovering biases  
  • Providing new perspectives 
  • Filling in gaps from the research 
  • Seeing a topic in a new way 
  • Synthesizing information  
  • Identifying weaknesses in the gathered information 

For additional ways that AI can be used to assist in your research process, explore the other AI modules that are available.

What do I bring to the research process when AI can do so much for me?

There is something beautiful about our ability to think, learn, and create. These skills require work and effort so it can be tempting to use an AI tool to reduce the workload. Using your agency wisely and thinking carefully about your values will help you decide when you use AI and how you present your work. Following your values and maintaining your integrity in claiming your academic work is an important part of navigating a complex world.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong teaches that “artificial intelligence can answer questions, but it cannot answer prayers. It can organize information, but it cannot offer revelation, covenant connection, or divine truth.”

Elder Gong explains his vision of a future shaped by AI: “I want AI and related technologies to change our world for the better; to narrow digital divides; to expand human flourishing; and to enhance faith, moral clarity, human meaning, and possibility.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts5Z64A0Vv4

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released four principles on how artificial intelligence (AI) is used in a church setting. They include spiritual connection, transparency, privacy and security, and accountability. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/artificial-intelligence?lang=eng

Reflection

Reflect on how you want to use AI in your research. Does it align with your values? How will it impact your work? Create a few guidelines that you will use when incorporating (or not incorporating) AI into your project.