In 2022, ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness and set off a wave of intrigue in generative AI. Less than two years later, "slop," referring to the prevalence of low-quality or inaccurate material produced by LLMs, was a shortlist contender for the Oxford University Press Word of the Year.
While we seem to have reached a tipping point in the hype cycle on Generative AI, we're far from realizing the extent to which AI as a whole will reshape the way we create, disseminate, and interact with scholarly knowledge.
In 2025, publishers are moving beyond experimental curiosity and towards focused, ROI-driven implementation of AI technology as a powerful tool to enhance research workflows, content discovery, and user experiences.
Hum and Silverchair asked leading experts in scholarly publishing to share their predictions about which areas will see the most significant AI-driven transformation in 2025.
Want to see what else they predicted for the year ahead? Grab a copy of the 2025 Publishing Tech Trends report.
Enhanced Search and Discovery: Redefining How We Access Knowledge
Multiple experts highlight search and discovery as a prime area for AI transformation. Alistair Reece (GeoScienceWorld) points out that ChatGPT has fundamentally changed user expectations around information retrieval: "Users want the ability to ask questions of the content rather than look up keywords."
This shift represents a move from traditional keyword-based search toward more intuitive, conversational interactions with scholarly content.
As Hum’s own Dustin Smith predicted, in 2025, we’ll see publishers begin to implement conversational interfaces that can synthesize findings across multiple papers, generate literature reviews on demand, and answer specific research questions with direct citations.
Peer Review and Editorial Workflows: Efficiency Meets Integrity
While 2024 focused on testing and adapting AI tools to fit existing processes, 2025 will see publishers leveraging the practical applications of AI to reshape and redefine workflows entirely.
Several experts identify the editorial and peer review process as key areas for AI innovation. Hum’s Chief Growth Officer, Richard Bennett notes that while AI won't replace human reviewers, it can significantly enhance the process through "manuscript summaries, peer reviewer recommendations, or transfer journal suggestions."
Heather Staines (Delta Think) adds that AI is already making strides in copyediting and integrity checks, suggesting this trend will accelerate.
Accessibility and Content Transformation
One of the most compelling themes is AI's potential to make research more accessible. Lou Peck (The International Bunch) emphasizes that AI can create "simplified summaries, translations, videos, and infographics making complex research more understandable to a broader audience."
For example, AI can generate different versions of the same content for various audiences: "Lay summaries" that make research accessible to general readers, expert summaries that help specialists quickly grasp key findings, or student-friendly versions that support learning at different educational levels.
Marketing and Customer Experience Evolution
Colleen Scollans (Clarke & Esposito) highlights how AI is fundamentally reshaping marketing and customer experience, noting that these teams were "among the earliest AI adopters." The transformation extends beyond simple automation to enable more sophisticated, data-driven approaches to customer engagement and campaign execution.
“All of these changes are forcing marketing teams to change the way they organize, plan, execute, and measure campaigns, experiences, and brand strategies,” says Scollans.
Key Takeaways for Publishers
- Invest in Search Innovation: Traditional search functionality needs to evolve toward more intuitive, question-answering capabilities.
- Focus on Accessibility: Use AI to make content more accessible through multiple formats and plain language options.
- Enhance Editorial Workflows: Look for opportunities to implement AI tools that support (not replace) human editorial judgment.
- Rethink Usage Metrics: Prepare for changes in how users interact with content and how usage is measured.
- Plan for Integration: Consider how AI tools can connect different parts of the research lifecycle.
Conclusion
The expert consensus suggests that 2025 will be a pivotal year for AI in scholarly publishing, with transformations occurring across multiple dimensions of the industry. While some changes will be immediate and visible, others will lay the groundwork for longer-term evolution in how research is published, discovered, and consumed.
The key to success will be balancing innovation with the core values of scholarly publishing: research integrity, accessibility, and the advancement of knowledge. Publishers who can navigate this balance while embracing AI's potential will be best positioned for success in this evolving landscape.