Rethinking Social Computing Research in the Age of AI: Agency, Collaboration, and Governance

Abstract

Recent advances in large language models have intensified public debate about the role of AI in supporting research pipelines, from hypothesis generation to experimental planning, execution, communication, and evaluation. While pattern recognition and automation improve efficiency, scholars are also raising deeper concerns about agency, creativity, intellectual ownership, and the potential erosion of human judgment in scientific work. This Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to create an open space for discussing emerging opportunities and challenges in AI-supported social computing research. We will discuss AI use across diverse research contexts, including individual inquiry, team formation and collaboration, peer review of papers and proposals, interdisciplinary knowledge production, and governance. We will also address the responsible design of AI systems that support deeper insights with greater confidence, promote new team collaboration and trust, and intentionally introduce productive frictions that cultivate critical and creative thinking. By bringing together scholars from HCI, AI, the social sciences, and related fields, this SIG will develop a shared blueprint for an AI-empowered social computing research agenda. More importantly, it will create a space for researchers to revisit their values, reaffirm human-centered commitments, and promote resilience in an ever-evolving AI era.