AI in the AWIS Community
We asked the AWIS community how they really use AI—here’s what they told us, from the positives to the negatives.
Individuals are using artificial intelligence more often in both professional and personal settings. We surveyed AWIS members on how and why they use (or don’t use) AI. We hope these insights aid future discussions and decisions surrounding it.
Here is what we asked:
Key takeaways:
1
The top three uses of AI (writing and communication, coding, and quality checking) all support human work rather than replace it.
2
The top concerns (accuracy and environmental impacts) are very concentrated, making up over half of all responses.
3
Outside AWIS, bias in AI is often cited as a concern, but it was a lower priority for AWIS members who responded.
Deciding Whether, When, and How to Use AI
Are you hesitant to use AI? Or perhaps relying on it too much? In this webinar, Nicholas Saller explores how AI can add value without compromising critical thinking and shares practical strategies for using AI intentionally across a wide range of workflows.
WATCH THE RECORDING (You must be an AWIS member. Join today or contact awis@awis.org for group screening information.)
Survey Snapshot
Results are out of 144 total AWIS member responses.
Q: Are you actively using AI solutions for work or school?
A Key Insight
66.7% of AWIS members use AI, which is considerably higher than the 49% of U.S. adults who report using AI chatbots, according to the Pew Research Center.
Q: What are your favorite AI applications?
Q: How do you use AI?
Most Common Uses
22.9% said...
Writing & Communication
Writing outlines, documents, cover letters, and resumes. Also revising and drafting emails.
14.3% said...
Coding
Learning to code, programming, translating between coding languages, finding coding errors, and writing parallel processing scripts.
11.4% said...
Quality Checking
Checking for typos, grammar, and readability in writing, proposals, theories, and analyses.
10% said...
Automation
Knocking out small, repetitive tasks such as mining microbial genomic data or filtering through photos.
Tied for Fifth
8.6% said...
Summarizing Material
Summarizing the information from slide decks, meeting notes, articles, and videos.
8.6% said...
Brainstorming
Idea generation, battling procrastination, and drafting writing.
8.6% said...
Research
All things from deep research to finding citations.
Least Common Uses
7.1% said...
Learning
Studying, note-taking, tutorials, literature reviews, and skill building.
5.7% said...
Planning & Management
Making a diet plan, business management, and project planning.
2.9% said...
Personal Discussion
Simply chatting for personal advice or everyday discussion.
Proof reading, transcribing notes, and as a safe discussion partner (safe in sense I can try out ideas, though I am aware of privacy/use concerns). I have used it to plan a balanced diet and estimate calories. It's a positive coach
Q: What concerns or barriers have limited your use of AI?
Most Common Concerns
26.8% said...
Environmental Concern
The making of data centers for AI requires large amounts energy and water.
25% said...
AI "Hallucinations"
AI can fabricate inaccurate and unreliable responses.
Tied for a Distant Third
8.9% said...
Justice
This includes the plagrisim and copywrite issues that come with using AI.
8.9% said...
No Need for Use
Simply not having a pressing need to use AI.
8.9% said...
Deskilling
Humans loosing cognitive fuction, critical thinking skills, and creativity.
Least Common Concerns
7.1% said...
Surveillance
Fears over AI breaching privacy.
5.4% said...
Not Developed Enough
New generative AI technology has not been developed enough for use. It is inefficent and not fully understood by the general public.
5.4% said...
Ethical Concerns
Vunerable communities bare the public health, evironmental, and financial costs of building data centers.
3.6% said...
Bias
This entails the bias that is built into AI models.
My primary concerns are that AI was not created with sustainability in mind and there is currently no incentive to create efficiencies in it's use that would limit the water and electricity required for maintaining servers and GPUs. I use it sparingly, and as a genetic researcher I often cannot rely on the accuracy of results.
While the most common uses are shown above, members also shared a wide variety of creative and practical applications for AI in their everyday work and lives.
Some additional examples include:
- Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training videos
- Preparing presentations and speaker notes
- Optimizing LinkedIn profiles and professional content
- Learning new topics or technical concepts
- Practicing foreign languages
- Troubleshooting home and vehicle repairs
- Exploring different perspectives during brainstorming
- Writing personalized songs and creative content
- Developing audience engagement ideas for presentations
The AI landscape is evolving quickly, and so are the ways STEM professionals are using it. We’d love to hear your favorite AI applications, workflows, or tips. Share with the AWIS Community and help other members discover new ways to work smarter.
Not a member? Join AWIS to access member-only discussions and webinar recordings.