The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research

Researchers in ‘hard' science disciplines are exploring the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for advancing research in their fields. Their colleagues in ‘soft' science, however, have produced thus far a limited number of articles on this subject. This paper addresse...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ottorino Cappelli, Marco Aliberti, Rodrigo Praino
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Political Research Exchange
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2474736X.2024.2351794
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846110241188478976
author Ottorino Cappelli
Marco Aliberti
Rodrigo Praino
author_facet Ottorino Cappelli
Marco Aliberti
Rodrigo Praino
author_sort Ottorino Cappelli
collection DOAJ
description Researchers in ‘hard' science disciplines are exploring the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for advancing research in their fields. Their colleagues in ‘soft' science, however, have produced thus far a limited number of articles on this subject. This paper addresses this gap. Our main hypothesis is that existing Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models (LLMs) can closely align with human expert assessments in specialized social science surveys. To test this, we compare data from a multi-country expert survey with those collected from the two powerful LLMs created by OpenAI and Google. The statistical difference between the two sets of data is minimal in most cases, supporting our hypothesis, albeit with certain limitations and within specific parameters. The tested language models demonstrate domain-agnostic algorithmic accuracy, indicating an inherent ability to incorporate human knowledge and independently replicate human judgment across various subfields without specific training. We refer to this property as the ‘implicit intelligence' of Artificial Intelligence, representing a highly promising advancement for social science research.
format Article
id doaj-art-3e780c98b46b4c5ea3bf61e5f3a1bcaa
institution Kabale University
issn 2474-736X
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Political Research Exchange
spelling doaj-art-3e780c98b46b4c5ea3bf61e5f3a1bcaa2024-12-24T11:33:41ZengTaylor & Francis GroupPolitical Research Exchange2474-736X2024-12-016110.1080/2474736X.2024.2351794The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science researchOttorino Cappelli0Marco Aliberti1Rodrigo Praino2Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali, Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”, Naples, ItalyEuropean Space Policy Institute, Wien, AustriaJeff Bleich Centre for Democracy and Disruptive Technologies, Flinders University, Adelaide, AustraliaResearchers in ‘hard' science disciplines are exploring the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for advancing research in their fields. Their colleagues in ‘soft' science, however, have produced thus far a limited number of articles on this subject. This paper addresses this gap. Our main hypothesis is that existing Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models (LLMs) can closely align with human expert assessments in specialized social science surveys. To test this, we compare data from a multi-country expert survey with those collected from the two powerful LLMs created by OpenAI and Google. The statistical difference between the two sets of data is minimal in most cases, supporting our hypothesis, albeit with certain limitations and within specific parameters. The tested language models demonstrate domain-agnostic algorithmic accuracy, indicating an inherent ability to incorporate human knowledge and independently replicate human judgment across various subfields without specific training. We refer to this property as the ‘implicit intelligence' of Artificial Intelligence, representing a highly promising advancement for social science research.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2474736X.2024.2351794Artificial intelligencepolitical science researchlarge language modelsspace policyspace power
spellingShingle Ottorino Cappelli
Marco Aliberti
Rodrigo Praino
The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
Political Research Exchange
Artificial intelligence
political science research
large language models
space policy
space power
title The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
title_full The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
title_fullStr The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
title_full_unstemmed The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
title_short The ‘Implicit Intelligence’ of artificial intelligence. Investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
title_sort implicit intelligence of artificial intelligence investigating the potential of large language models in social science research
topic Artificial intelligence
political science research
large language models
space policy
space power
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2474736X.2024.2351794
work_keys_str_mv AT ottorinocappelli theimplicitintelligenceofartificialintelligenceinvestigatingthepotentialoflargelanguagemodelsinsocialscienceresearch
AT marcoaliberti theimplicitintelligenceofartificialintelligenceinvestigatingthepotentialoflargelanguagemodelsinsocialscienceresearch
AT rodrigopraino theimplicitintelligenceofartificialintelligenceinvestigatingthepotentialoflargelanguagemodelsinsocialscienceresearch
AT ottorinocappelli implicitintelligenceofartificialintelligenceinvestigatingthepotentialoflargelanguagemodelsinsocialscienceresearch
AT marcoaliberti implicitintelligenceofartificialintelligenceinvestigatingthepotentialoflargelanguagemodelsinsocialscienceresearch
AT rodrigopraino implicitintelligenceofartificialintelligenceinvestigatingthepotentialoflargelanguagemodelsinsocialscienceresearch