Human-in-the-Loop and AI: Crowdsourcing Metadata Vocabulary for Materials Science

Jane Greenberg; Scott McClellan; Addy Ireland; Robert Sammarco; Colton Gerber; Christopher B. Rauch; Mat Kelly; John Kunze; Yuan An; Eric Toberer

arXiv · 2512.09895

Human-in-the-Loop and AI: Crowdsourcing Metadata Vocabulary for Materials Science

Jane Greenberg·Scott McClellan·Addy Ireland·Robert Sammarco·Colton Gerber·Christopher B. Rauch·Mat Kelly·John Kunze·Yuan An·Eric Toberer

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Abstract

Metadata vocabularies are essential for advancing FAIR and FARR data principles, but their development constrained by limited human resources and inconsistent standardization practices. This paper introduces MatSci-YAMZ, a platform that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and human-in-the-loop (HILT), including crowdsourcing, to support metadata vocabulary development. The paper reports on a proof-of-concept use case evaluating the AI-HILT model in materials science, a highly interdisciplinary domain Six (6) participants affiliated with the NSF Institute for Data-Driven Dynamical Design (ID4) engaged with the MatSci-YAMZ plaform over several weeks, contributing term definitions and providing examples to prompt the AI-definitions refinement. Nineteen (19) AI-generated definitions were successfully created, with iterative feedback loops demonstrating the feasibility of AI-HILT refinement. Findings confirm the feasibility AI-HILT model highlighting 1) a successful proof of concept, 2) alignment with FAIR and open-science principles, 3) a research protocol to guide future studies, and 4) the potential for scalability across domains. Overall, MatSci-YAMZ's underlying model has the capacity to enhance semantic transparency and reduce time required for consensus building and metadata vocabulary development.

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Jane Greenberg, Scott McClellan, Addy Ireland, Robert Sammarco, Colton Gerber, Christopher B. Rauch, Mat Kelly, John Kunze, Yuan An, Eric Toberer. 2025-12-10. Human-in-the-Loop and AI: Crowdsourcing Metadata Vocabulary for Materials Science. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09895

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