Research Solutions’ Research Intelligence Report 2026 Benchmarks AI Adoption Across More Than 400 Academic & Corporate Research Organizations And Reveals A Widening Gap Between Individual Practice And Institutional Readiness
Research Solutions (NASDAQ: RSSS), a leading provider of AI-powered scientific research tools, has published The State of AI in Research 2026, a benchmark study examining the integration of AI into research workflows within academic and corporate organizations. Drawing on survey responses from over 400 professionals representing R1/R2 universities, four-year colleges, life sciences and pharmaceutical companies, healthcare and biotech firms, and consulting and technology organizations, the report provides a peer-sourced overview of current AI adoption in the research community and outlines key considerations for the scholarly publishing sector.
The findings indicate that the research community is undergoing a significant transition. While AI use is well-established at the individual level, organizational strategy, governance, and infrastructure are still developing.
Key Findings
AI use among research professionals is both frequent and widespread. 58% of respondents report using AI tools daily or multiple times per day, while another 29% use them several times per week. Together, 87% of respondents use AI tools at least weekly, a signal that AI has progressed beyond experimentation and is now integrated into routine research practice.
Despite the high adoption rate, the research community maintains a strong commitment to verifying AI outputs. 52% of respondents always verify AI outputs before use, and an additional 31% verify most outputs. While this culture of individual accountability is evident and encouraging, it has not yet fully translated into organizational infrastructure. 51% of organizations report having no formal evaluation process to assess the effectiveness of their AI implementations. For a publishing community increasingly reliant on the credibility of AI-assisted research, that gap carries direct implications.
Strategy maturity lags individual adoption by a wide margin. 36% of organizations remain in the exploratory phase, working on policy development or running limited pilots. Another 35% have not yet established a formal AI strategy, though individual experimentation is ongoing. Only 13% have moved to active implementation or a fully integrated AI strategy.
“Research professionals have adopted AI quickly, and the data shows they are approaching it with genuine rigor at the individual level,” said Corey Rabazinski, Chief Marketing Officer at Research Solutions. “What this report makes clear is that the broader ecosystem (the institutions, publishers, and platforms that support research) has an important role to play in building the governance infrastructure to match that momentum.”
What The Findings Mean For Scholarly Publishing
Respondents identified several resources that would most benefit their AI implementation: implementation case studies and best practices from comparable organizations (19%), technical integration guidance and tools evaluation (19%), ethical frameworks for responsible AI use and governance (16%), and strategic planning frameworks and roadmaps (16%). These needs extend beyond the capacity of individual research organizations. Publishers, librarians, and platform providers are well positioned to help develop the shared standards, ethical frameworks, and integration models sought by the research community.
Research support ranked as the top area where respondents expect AI to deliver the most significant value in 2026, cited by 26% of respondents. Budget allocation for AI remains largely informal; 45% of respondents were uncertain about or declined to disclose their organization’s AI budget allocation, and 27% reported no specific budget allocation for AI at all, suggesting that many organizations are integrating AI adoption into existing resources rather than funding it as a strategic priority.
Outlook: Broad Confidence, Unfinished Strategy
When asked about their outlook, 37% of respondents believe AI will drive significant improvements while complementing traditional approaches, and 24% expect AI to be essential and fundamentally reshape their operations. Combined, 61% anticipate either significant improvements or fundamental transformation, even as most organizations are still building the foundational strategies and governance frameworks to realize that potential.
The State of AI in Research 2026 is now available here
About Research Solutions Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS) is a holding Company providing software and AI solutions for enterprise R&D teams and academic institutions. Through proprietary data, integrated workflows, and access infrastructure, the Company gives modern researchers and their AI systems the infrastructure to find, trust, and act on scientific research faster.
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Member News Release submitted by Research Solutions on 05/26/2026.
