US EditionHidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
MULTIPLE COUNTRIES INCLUDING JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, CHINA, SINGAPORE, AND THE UNITED STATES, JUL 4 – Researchers from 14 institutions in eight countries embed hidden AI prompts in manuscripts to sway AI-assisted peer reviews, raising ethical concerns about s
- Nikkei Asia reported on July 6, 2025, that 17 academic papers from 14 institutions in eight countries contained hidden prompts designed to influence AI peer reviews positively.
- This finding comes amid increasing worries about the extensive incorporation of AI-produced material in scholarly writing and the potential threats it poses to the reliability of research outcomes.
- Researchers found that a minimum of 13.5 percent of academic papers published in 2024 exhibited language patterns indicative of large language model assistance, with notable variation observed across different disciplines and geographic regions.
- Timothée Poisot pointed out that it was obvious the review was generated by an AI because it matched typical ChatGPT responses almost verbatim, and he warned that allowing such automated reviews indicates a surrender of scholarly standards.
- These findings suggest increasing challenges in ensuring research integrity and peer-review reliability as academics adopt covert AI strategies, prompting calls for clearer guidelines and detection benchmarks.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Study: Millions of Scientific Papers Have 'Fingerprints' of AI in Their Text
Researchers have discovered that the emergence of AI large language models (LLMs) has led to a detectable increase in specific word choices within academic literature, suggesting that AI-generated content is quietly infiltrating peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Journalists have discovered hidden prompts in research work, which apparently had a purpose: Artificial intelligence was supposed to evaluate the manuscripts positively.
In the great chamboulement that shakes the world of publishing research, beyond classical frauds and malfeasances, artificial intelligence also begins to sow the seeds of discord.
TechCrunch
Researchers seek to influence peer review with hidden AI prompts
Academics may be leaning on a novel strategy to influence peer review of their research papers — adding hidden prompts designed to coax AI tools to deliver positive feedback.
Bombshell Research Finds a Staggering Number of Scientific Papers Were AI-Generated
Like any crappy human writer, AI chatbots have a tendency to overuse specific words — and now, scientists are using that propensity to catch their colleagues when they secretly use it in their work. As the New York Times reports, scientists estimate, based on an analysis of those overused terms, that there could already be hundreds of thousands of academic papers written with the assistance of AI. In a new study published in the journal Science …
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