Author:  M. Alston Affiliation:  Independent Researcher Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI)—especially large language models (LLMs) and automated text, image, and data tools—is rapidly changing how research is produced, evaluated, and published. This article examines AI’s growing role across the academic research lifecycle and peer review systems, focusing on opportunities (speed, access, error detection) and risks (bias amplification, new forms of misconduct, opacity, and