Springer Nature expands use of AI across publishing workflows

Springer Nature has expanded the use of artificial intelligence tools across its publishing operations, with more than 1.5 million research papers supported by AI-assisted processes in 2025. The publisher expects the use of these tools to grow by a further 25% in 2026 as it continues embedding AI throughout editorial and peer-review workflows.

According to the company, nearly 60 AI tools are now being used to support manuscript screening, editorial evaluation, author retention and research integrity checks. The tools are designed to assist authors, editors and reviewers at multiple stages of the publishing process, with human oversight remaining in place.

Central to this strategy is Snapp, Springer Nature’s peer review platform, which was developed with ongoing feedback from researchers. The platform is now used by more than half of the publisher’s journals and integrates AI tools directly into editorial workflows.

Springer Nature says the system is helping to streamline publishing processes while maintaining research quality. Survey data cited by the publisher indicates that 90% of authors, 70% of editors and 81% of reviewers rate their experience with the platform as “good” or “excellent”.

Frank Vrancken Peeters, Chief Executive of Springer Nature, commented: “We’re embracing AI where it makes the biggest difference for researchers – reducing friction for authors, creating simpler workflows for editors and reviewers, and enhancing both the use and discovery of high-quality research. Our approach continues to be author-led, with transparency about where AI is used and clear human oversight and accountability, so we can continue to deliver the high-quality trusted research and publishing service our communities expect.”

The publisher highlighted several ways AI supported publishing activities during 2025:

• More than 500,000 submissions were initiated via its Journal Finder tool, helping authors identify suitable journals for their work.
• The Editor Evaluation tool was used across nearly half a million manuscripts to help editors assess scientific soundness.
• The Peer Reviewer Recommender generated more than 400,000 reviewer recommendations.
• The Journal Transfer Recommender made more than 500,000 transfer suggestions – a 40% increase on 2024 – helping authors identify alternative journals for their manuscripts, including those aligned with funding requirements.
• AI-based integrity tools flagged around 25,000 papers for potential issues such as image manipulation, fabricated text or fake references.

Springer Nature says it is continuing to develop new AI-powered features to support researchers, including AI-generated research summaries, natural-language search within papers and in-paper chat functions designed to improve discovery, accessibility and engagement.

The publisher emphasised that its AI strategy remains researcher-led and that the tools are being developed in collaboration with the research community to ensure they are deployed responsibly.