paperAugust 2026UnreviewedOpen access

The cognitive mechanism: safeguarding the future of immunological discovery in the GenAI era

Nigel J. Francis, David P. Smith

Discovery Immunology

Abstract

Abstract Scientific discovery is built on the rigorous interrogation of the unknown. In immunology, exploring novel mechanisms requires researchers to identify what is unknown, reconcile contradictory data through original thinking, and integrate disparate ideas to generate testable hypotheses. Undertaking this process is how students construct their own knowledge and experiences. However, the rapid integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into higher education risks short-circuiting this cognitive

Cite

@article{francis2026cognitive,
  title = {{The cognitive mechanism: safeguarding the future of immunological discovery in the GenAI era}},
  author = {Nigel J. Francis and David P. Smith},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  journal = {Discovery Immunology},
  doi = {10.1093/discim/kyag016},
  url = {https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/c8ec4963ee5131120cf502dbcb8d7c5c9821fab3}
}