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AI-generated images threaten science — here’s how researchers hope to spot them

Generative-AI technologies can create convincing scientific data with ease — publishers and integrity specialists fear a torrent of faked science.
By
  1. Diana Kwon

    1. Diana Kwon is a freelance science journalist based in Berlin.

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From scientists manipulating figures to the mass production of fake papers by paper mills, problematic manuscripts have long plagued the scholarly literature. Science sleuths work tirelessly to uncover this misconduct to correct the scientific record. But their job is becoming harder, owing to the introduction of a powerful new tool for fraudsters: generative artificial intelligence (AI).

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Nature 635, 268-269 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03542-8

Quiz answers: Images a, d and e are from real scientific papers. Images b, c and f were generated by Proofig’s artificial-intelligence software.

References

  1. Saguy, A. et al. Small Meth. https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202400672 (2024).

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