Presentation Overcoming the GenAI Capability Overhang: Building Agentic Tools for Applied Linguistics Research more

In a recent talk, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott (2025) discussed "capability overhang," the gap between what AI models can accomplish and what users actually implement. This issue is present in applied linguistics, where frontier models have demonstrated remarkable potential, yet most researchers remain limited to basic chatbot interactions or structured platforms like SciSpace. This presentation argues that agentic tools like MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, customizable skills, and adaptive agents enable researchers to develop workflows tailored to their needs, bridging this capability gap. This presentation will demonstrate how to build agentic research workflows for applied linguistics using tools such as Claude Desktop, Notion, custom MCP configurations, and agentic platforms. Specifically, I will show how researchers can leverage these tools to: (1) discover and retrieve relevant literature across multiple databases, (2) annotate and synthesise findings with persistent memory systems, (3) store and curate research in structured knowledge bases, and (4) streamline data analysis pipelines. Rather than replacing expertise, this presentation shows how agentic approaches amplify it by streamlining repetitive tasks while preserving human judgment. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies for building personalised AI research assistants that can evolve alongside their projects, ultimately simplifying the path from data collection to publication.