Using Generative AI for Literature Searches and Scholarly Writing: Is the Integrity of the Scientific Discourse in Jeopardy?

TL;DR

This paper reviews the impact of generative AI tools like ChatGPT on scientific writing, highlighting concerns about integrity, potential contamination of literature, and calling for policy development, while also exploring beneficial applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of the discourse on AI's influence on scientific integrity and proposes guidelines to mitigate risks while recognizing AI's useful roles.

Findings

AI tools pose a real threat to scientific literature integrity

Contamination of scientific records by AI-generated content is already occurring

Guidelines are needed to prevent misuse and preserve scholarly standards

Abstract

Ever since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, serious concerns have been raised about the impact and potentially dire consequences of the increasingly widespread use of generative AI tools for purposes of scientific writing and publishing. We document the ongoing discussion in the science community with a review of news articles, editorials, and position statements by major scientific publishers; discuss the potential pitfalls of using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT as aids in scholarly writing; furnish evidence for the proposition that AI-induced contamination of the scientific literature is not only a threat, but already a reality; and call upon leaders in our field to develop policies and guidelines to stem the spread of such contamination. Closing on a positive note, we provide a brief overview of potentially useful capabilities and sensible applications of ChatGPT and similar AI tools for purposes of scholarly writing.