Abstract

Smart contracts, Large Language (LLM) and other Artificial Intelligence (AI) are cutting edge
technologies that have taken the world by storm. The two technologies are not yet generally used
together in research management systems. LLMs and AI have become a staple in conducting
research in this era (Lin, 2023). The technologies offer considerable speed-up in terms of searching
the bodies of knowledge, assisting with grammar and semantics and preventing plagiarism. Hence,
research output is bound to increase, and with it, research management and support systems. It is
not enough to reproduce management processes digitally. Designing new systems offers
organisations a chance to rethink how things are done and change them for the better.
RMS on steroids discusses a case for using AI and smart contracts to improve research management systems. The presentation unpacks issues in five primary research management areas: collaboration, ethics, finance, legal and publication. In each case, AI helps resolve issues by relying on a larger body of knowledge. Once issues are resolved, smart contracts with trust between organisations automatically manage research projects. The five areas mentioned are examples that will be unpacked, where the thinking can be applied in all areas of research management. There are cases of using these technologies in management. AI in business process management is well established (Vidgof, Bachhofner, & Mendling, 2023), and smart contracts have been proposed for collaboration (Stojmenova Duh et al., 2019). Currently, there is little evidence of bringing AI and smart contracts together. However, underlying the use of AI is the smart contract. Blockchain trust allows these contracts to be self-executed. AI reviews the execution and alerts research managers of issues and risks, freeing up the time of research managers.
A case is made for an embedded blockchain model proposed for research data management (Surtee, 2022) to help manage otherwise separate smart contracts holistically, allowing the organisation to have an overview of the entire research output in the organisation.
The presentation will make the case that systems can be designed with sustainability in mind and
reduce the administrative workload of research management professionals.

References:
Lin, Z. (2023). Why and how to embrace AI such as ChatGPT in your academic life. Royal Society open
science, 10(8), 230658 %@ 232054-235703.
Stojmenova Duh, E., Duh, A., Droftina, U., Kos, T., Duh, U., Simonič Korošak, T., & Korošak, D. (2019).
Publish-and-flourish: Using blockchain platform to enable cooperative scholarly
communication. Publications, 7(2), 33 %@ 2304-6775.
Surtee, T. G. (2022). Data provenance through embedded blockchains. Paper presented at the
SARIMA 2022 Conference, The Wanderers Club, Illovo, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Vidgof, M., Bachhofner, S., & Mendling, J. (2023). Large language models for business process
management: Opportunities and challenges.