AI's research blunder: How a mistake sparked a chain of flawed scientific papers. Can artificial intelligence be trusted

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AI’s research blunder: How a mistake sparked a chain of flawed scientific papers. Can artificial intelligence be trusted in academia?

ET OnlineLast Updated: Mar 09, 2025, 08:22:00 PM IST

In an era where artificial intelligence is shaping nearly every aspect of human life, its growing influence on academic research is raising serious concerns. A viral video from Instagram account @brokenscienceinitiative has ignited debate after exposing how an AI-generated mistake led to a cascade of flawed research papers—nearly two dozen, to be exact.

What began as a simple misinterpretation by AI spiraled into a shocking example of the dangers of unchecked automation in academia. The mistake, buried deep within scientific literature, went unnoticed by peer reviewers, raising an unsettling question: Is AI eroding the research aptitude of scientists and the credibility of academic publishing?
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Flawed Research at an Alarming Scale
The revelation has sparked outrage, with many questioning how a basic AI error could spread so widely in the supposedly rigorous world of academia. Even more alarming is the suggestion that the mistake may have been amplified by paper mills—fraudulent organizations that churn out research papers for profit without proper review.

"This incident highlights a growing issue—unchecked use of AI in academic research," the viral video’s narrator warns. "A simple AI misinterpretation spiraled into nearly two dozen questionable studies, proof that the peer review process is failing and the replication crisis is alive and well."
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more: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ais-research-blunder-how-a-mistake-sparked-a-chain-of-flawed-scientific-papers-can-artificial-intelligence-be-trusted-in-academia/articleshow/118821229.cms?