Rethinking Research in the Age of LLMs*

Large Language Models (LLMs) are evolving at an unprecedented pace, with powerful capabilities becoming increasingly accessible. These Generative AI (GAI) systems are reshaping the very way research is initiated, conducted, and communicated, as well as the supervision, mentoring, and intellectual development of doctoral students and researchers.

In this talk, Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi will show through examples how current and emerging LLMs are influencing every stage of the research process: from formulating research questions and conducting literature reviews, to developing hypotheses, executing studies, and communicating results. He will discuss how reimagining the research workflow, with LLMs as research assistants, collaborative research partners and peer reviewers improve efficiency, accelerate scientific discovery and expand the possibilities for knowledge generation.

Particular attention will be given to when and how LLMs are most effectively used within the research lifecycle, and where domain expertise, human critical thinking and intellectual ability remain crucial. He will argue that in the context of machine intelligence (LLMs), our equal-partner collaboration with the LLMs should be grounded in the context of critical thinking, building of trust, and scholarly peer review..

While the progress of LLMs is remarkable, challenges such as data integrity, algorithmic bias, and ethical considerations remain and must be addressed proactively. Rather than offering definitive conclusions, this talk is intended to stimulate dialogue, challenge assumptions, and inspire new ways of thinking about the future of research and training in the world of AI.

*This presentation was prepared by human, augmented by LLMs.

This event is part of the King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence’s AI Conversations series.

Meet the speaker

Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi is Vice President (Research & Innovation) at King’s College London, where he provides the academic leadership for developing and implementing the university's research and innovation strategy and overseeing new initiatives whilst continuing to foster inter-faculty and multidisciplinary collaboration to support the delivery of King’s strategic goals. He is also co-Director of the King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Bashir is a renowned world-leading computer engineer, who has made significant contributions to understanding the interactions between hardware and software of energy-constrained computing and its application in industrial designs. He is acknowledged internationally in the field of energy-efficient computing and systems engineering and his research has won numerous academic awards and widespread external recognition. He has played a prominent role in the development of battery-free computing that underpins a broad range of digital technologies as an emerging field, such as the Internet of things.

He was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2018 for his services to engineering and industry and was knighted in the New Year Honours 2025 for his contribution to engineering and education. In May 2023, Bashir became a fellow of the Royal Society for his pioneering work on semiconductor chips and energy-efficient computation.

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