Reviewer fatigue has become one of the defining challenges of modern publishing.
Article output continues to rise globally, and use of AI in research and manuscripts has rapidly accelerated it. In a recent Substack post, Mark Hahnel says, “If publications grow 10x within 5 years of AI adoption, we'd need 200-300 million peer reviews annually. Even if every PhD-level researcher worldwide dedicated their entire career to reviewing, we couldn't keep up.”
This looming crisis is already here in smaller doses. Since 2020, the rate at which reviewers reject or ignore invitations has only increased. Reviewer pools are being asked to do more and more, often receiving requests for papers that are only marginally tied to their expertise. Many reliable reviewers are delaying, declining, or burning out entirely.
Luckily, AI can also be used to combat this reviewer fatigue. By combining intelligent reviewer identification with thoughtful engagement, publishers can build stronger relationships with potential reviewers and optimize their outreach to the right reviewer pools.
How AI Helps Find the Right Next Reviewers
Traditional reviewer recruitment often relies on editorial memory, keyword searches, and going after the "usual suspects;” a system that worked when submissions were manageable, but one that breaks down at scale.
As Chris Leonard points out in a recent article in The Scholarly Kitchen, “only a fraction of all researchers are asked to review, compounding the problem on the shoulders of active reviewers who get invitations to review every few weeks (if not every few days).”
Good reviewer recruitment is fundamentally about fit. The closer the match between a manuscript and a reviewer’s expertise, the more likely the invitation is to be accepted, and the more valuable the feedback will be.
AI now enables a new level of precision in making these matches. Instead of relying solely on editor memory or simple keyword searches, AI systems can:
- Analyze publication and citation networks to uncover emerging experts who may not yet be on editorial radars.
- Detect methodological expertise that may not be obvious from titles alone.
- Surface early- and mid-career scholars eager to build their profile and contribute to their field
- Identify global talent pools that expand beyond the familiar geographic centers of publishing.
This isn’t about automating reviewer selection wholesale. Rather, it’s about giving editors a stronger, data-backed starting point, reducing wasted invitations and increasing the odds of securing the right reviewer faster.
Recruitment Is Only Half the Story
Finding new reviewers is important. Keeping them is essential.
Too often, reviewer engagement is treated as purely transactional: a request arrives, the review is completed, and the cycle starts over.
To create sustainable reviewer communities, publishers have to be focused on relationship-building. That means rethinking not only who is invited, but how they are invited, thanked, and supported along the way.
Personalization Matters
Every reviewer has different motivations and constraints. AI and marketing intelligence tools can help publishers segment reviewer audiences and tailor communication accordingly. For example:
- Early-career reviewers may be more likely to value formal recognition (e.g., ORCID integration, certificates, CME credits) and opportunities to learn from transparent peer review models.
- Established reviewers may prefer efficient tools that reduce repetitive checks, or clear acknowledgment of their contribution in journal front matter.
- Global reviewers may respond best to outreach that highlights inclusion, mentorship, and the opportunity to contribute to the global record of science.
Simple changes in tone, timing, and recognition can make the difference between a one-off reviewer and a long-term partner.
This is where intelligent engagement tools come in. At Hum, we’ve built Alchemist Engage specifically to help publishers orchestrate personalized journeys for readers, as well as for authors and reviewers.
Alchemist Engage is helping publishers:
- Identify strong reviewers and authors across their communities.
- Deliver the right message, at the right time, in the right format.
- Create a feedback loop and learn more from reviewers about ways they stay informed, feel appreciated, and what motivates to return.
Think of it as moving from “cold-call” reviewer recruitment to a system of thoughtful, data-driven relationship management. The goal isn’t just to get a single review. It’s to build a reviewer community that’s loyal, diverse, and sustainable.
Supporting Editors, Too
The reviewer crisis doesn’t just affect reviewers; it weighs heavily on editors. The more time editors must spend searching for and recruiting reviewers, the less time they have to focus on the quality and impact of the research itself.
This is where Alchemist Review plays a complementary role. By automatically digesting manuscripts, checking for integrity issues, and streamlining triage, Alchemist Review helps editors cut through noise and focus on what matters most.
And - coming soon! - we’re releasing a new recommended reviewer feature as part of Alchemist Review, further connecting the dots between manuscript intake and reviewer recruitment. Hum’s deep textual analysis pairs potential reviewers with each incoming manuscript based on content similarity and reference analysis, and makes it simple for editors to edit and send invitations to review.
These tools are designed to lighten the burden on both editors and reviewers – making it easier and more efficient for the humans involved to do what they do best: advance science!
AI provides powerful ways to identify new reviewers. Personalization and journey orchestration help nurture them into lasting contributors. And tools like Alchemist Engage and Alchemist Review make these strategies actionable for publishers today.
The future of peer review won’t be defined by automation alone. It will be defined by how publishers use technology to strengthen human relationships—recognizing that reviewers aren’t just a resource to be tapped, but a community to be cultivated.