The Age of LLMs: Who Is the Researcher Now? How LLMs Are Changing Search, Ideation, and Scientific Judgment

LLMs are changing how researchers move from the existing literature to new scientific questions. Beyond finding and summarizing papers, these systems can suggest connections across fields, identify possible gaps, propose hypotheses, support experiments, and critique manuscripts. As they move from retrieving information to influencing research directions and evaluation, it becomes increasingly important to ask where assistance ends, and intellectual contribution begins, and which aspects of originality, responsibility, and scientific judgment must remain human.