“AI is a good tool for those who know how to use it,” says research specialist Lis Leão

Researcher at Einstein Hospital Israelita discusses the challenges of assembling multidisciplinary teams and the limits of using AI in science

Editorial staff

Two people in a work meeting. In the foreground, male hands gesturing over a desk with a notebook and smartphone. In the background, a person using a laptop with a colorful interface on the screen.

“We want these people to participate, but we have not yet established a structure to ensure that this happens smoothly for everyone.” This statement comes from Lis Leão, a researcher at Einstein Hospital Israelita whose work focuses on studies related to nature, health, and well-being.

Her assessment aptly summarizes the current state of collaborative science in Brazil: while the demand for multidisciplinary teams has increased in research funding calls, the infrastructure needed to support this collaboration is still lagging behind.

In an interview with Science Arena, Leão discusses the practical challenges of building these teams, as well as the limits—and possibilities—of using artificial intelligence in research.

Read Lis Leão’s full interview with Science Arena below:

The challenge of including communities in research

Regarding the requirement for teams composed of people from different fields, Lis Leão noted that multidisciplinary teams are not built overnight.

“Today, there is much discussion about including the very community being studied within the research project,” she said. She also mentioned ongoing discussions about a new law requiring Ethics Committees to include a representative from the specific population that a study intends to investigate.

However, Lis Leão pointed out that initiatives of this kind still require some adjustments. For example, when including someone from a riverside community, that person must register on the Sagem platform (System for the Evaluation and Management of Ethics Committee Members). Yet these individuals often live in remote areas and face significant difficulties completing this administrative process.

“We want these people to participate, but we have not yet established a structure that allows this to happen smoothly for everyone involved,” she emphasized.

Another challenge is the need for funding to build this collaborative relationship with the community. “Today there are some mechanisms to expand this inclusion. When we engage with local communities, we see that they bring a wealth of fascinating, alternative knowledge. But often there is no time to undertake this engagement before securing funding, because of travel distances,” she explained.

Lis Leão also noted that researchers can visit the research site at a later stage and then adjust the project accordingly. “This is a requirement in the guidelines of several funding calls, which, in my opinion, still needs some fine-tuning,” she reiterated.

AI in research: A tool for those with expertise

Many researchers have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to support their work. According to Leão, AI can be effective for those who know how to use it, for example, to streamline or refine specific processes within scientific research. “It can certainly save time, but one must have a solid command of the subject,” she noted.

For those entering the field, using this tool can be risky: without sufficient knowledge of the topic, researchers may lack the basis to evaluate the quality of the results generated by AI.

To read more about the composition of multidisciplinary teams and the use of artificial intelligence in scientific projects, see the interview featured in this Science Arena article.

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