AI-qualizing Science

AI-qualizing Science | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Social Sciences - Article AI-qualizing Science Ludovic Phalippou, Anantha Divakaruni, Francois Bares This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520439/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Scientific discovery remains highly concentrated among elite universities due to unequal access to infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration networks. We investigate whether artificial intelligence can mitigate these disparities by studying AlphaFold, a deep learning system awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for its transformative impact on protein structure predictions. Using publication data from top journals and universities worldwide, we show that lower-ranked institutions increased their share of high-impact protein research by up to five percentage points within two years of AlphaFold’s public release. These gains are specific to protein domains and absent in non-protein fields or lower-tier journals. We further document enhanced research novelty, directional pivoting, and citation impact among lower-tier institutions, alongside reduced dependence on collaborations with top-ranked partners. By broadening participation in frontier protein science, AlphaFold exemplifies how open-access AI tools can disrupt entrenched hierarchies in research. This democratizing effect has far-reaching implications as similar AI systems emerge in other complex domains such as genomics, materials science, and climate modeling. Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Economics Biological sciences/Biochemistry/Structural biology/Molecular modelling Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7520439","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Social Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":516626690,"identity":"af9e6fec-695c-4671-b6f5-035f5ecfee1a","order_by":0,"name":"Ludovic Phalippou","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Oxford","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ludovic","middleName":"","lastName":"Phalippou","suffix":""},{"id":516626691,"identity":"c2361219-103d-4b23-abc1-8f900098d725","order_by":1,"name":"Anantha Divakaruni","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Bergen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anantha","middleName":"","lastName":"Divakaruni","suffix":""},{"id":516626692,"identity":"7ea9f136-27ed-4e44-81c8-e45c8c5c2133","order_by":2,"name":"Francois Bares","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Oxford","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Francois","middleName":"","lastName":"Bares","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-02 18:35:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520439/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520439/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106402592,"identity":"96d05e1c-b312-4faa-a286-795511c18730","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-08 09:12:22","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2242454,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"AlphaFold6.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520439/v1_covered_d43cfb99-467d-4bda-bbea-65a837341765.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"AI-qualizing Science","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520439/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520439/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Scientific discovery remains highly concentrated among elite universities due to unequal access to infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration networks. 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