The 'digital cannibalism' of language science research put to the test by the rise of generative artificial intelligence

Abstract

Our era is marked by the extraordinarily rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) technologies, which are profoundly transforming the dynamics of knowledge production, dissemination, and legitimization in science in general and in the language sciences in particular. In light of the concept proposed in our title, “digital cannibalism”, this transformation gives rise to an increasingly prevalent process whereby AI systems reuse, recombine, and generate data derived from academic research. This emerging process tends to blur the conventional boundaries between conceptual innovation, paraphrasing, synthesis, and falsification. Our main objective is to assess the impact of this transformation on scholarly writing, the originality of academic publications, the traceability of documentary sources, and, more broadly, the ethical, deontological, and epistemological standards that underpin research in the language sciences. To this end, we adopt a mixed and interwoven methodological approach that is simultaneously descriptive, hermeneutic, and reflexive. More specifically, this article examines the opportunities offered by Gen AI alongside the potential forms of misuse that may threaten the ethical and deontological principles of academic research. Accordingly, this study questions the redefinition of the identity and role of the teacher-researcher, the scientific value of intellectual production, and the attribution of academic discourse in an increasingly digital and computational environment. It also outlines the foundations for a lucid, transparent, responsible, and ethically sound integration of AI technologies into scientific research practices.