Source: Fortune
Summary
Associate professor Maxim Topaz’s experience with AI tools led him to investigate how often experts are fooled by AI-generated references. A study published in The Lancet found over 4,000 fabricated references in nearly 3,000 biomedical papers. The rate of fake references has grown more than 12-fold in three years, with one in 277 papers containing at least one non-existent reference in 2026. AI hallucinations are a growing concern in various fields, including medicine, law, and journalism.
Our Reading
The strategy enters a familiar phase.
AI hallucinations are becoming increasingly common, even among experts. A study found over 4,000 fabricated references in biomedical papers. The rate of fake references has grown significantly in three years. AI tools are widely used in expert-level knowledge work, including journalism and law. Experts, including Nobel laureates, are also using AI in their work. The publishing industry may not be prepared to handle the surging number of fake references.
The announcement sounds familiar: “We’re not stopping the use of AI tools, we’re just building verification into the workflow.”
Author: Evan Null
