Mauro Piacentini
Prof. Mauro Piacentini is Professor Emeritus of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” since 2024. He also served there as Full Professor (2000–2003), as an elected member of the Board of Directors (2013–2021), and as President of the Degree Program in Biotechnology (2005–2013). Since 1998, he has been the Director of the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Electron Microscopy at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS “Lazzaro Spallanzani”. From 2018 to 2025, he served as President of the Technical Health Committee of the Italian Ministry of Health. Since 2006 is Scientific Director of Heal Italia Foundation. He is actively involved in numerous...
Scientific Publishing in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, is profoundly transforming the landscape of scientific publishing. AI is reshaping every stage of the publication process, from literature discovery and hypothesis generation to manuscript drafting, language editing, peer review, and post-publication analysis. These technologies have the potential to increase productivity, improve accessibility for non-native English speakers, accelerate knowledge dissemination, and facilitate the synthesis of rapidly expanding scientific literature. At the same time, the widespread adoption of AI raises important concerns regarding scientific integrity, authorship, transparency, reproducibility, plagiarism, fabricated data and references, algorithmic bias, and the potential amplification of misinformation. Publishers, editors, reviewers, and research institutions are therefore challenged to establish clear ethical frameworks and robust guidelines governing the responsible use of AI throughout the scientific workflow. Rather than replacing human expertise, AI should be viewed as an assistive technology that complements critical thinking, scientific creativity, and ethical judgment, while preserving human accountability for the accuracy and originality of published research. Future scientific publishing will likely evolve toward a hybrid model in which AI supports routine and analytical tasks, whereas human researchers maintain responsibility for hypothesis generation, experimental design, interpretation of results, and final editorial decisions. Ensuring transparency in AI-assisted writing, developing reliable AI-detection and validation tools, and promoting international standards for responsible AI use will be essential to maintain trust in scientific literature. Ultimately, the integration of AI into scholarly communication represents both an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate scientific discovery and a critical test of the research community's ability to preserve the principles of rigor, reproducibility, and integrity that underpin scientific progress.