Lancet: AI Hallucinated Citations in Biomedical Papers Up 12x
A paper published in The Lancet reports that the rate of fabricated citations in biomedical research literature has increased by more than 12 times since 2023. The primary driver is undisclosed use of older AI models — which hallucinate citations at high rates — without post-generation verification steps. The Lancet paper notes that modern models hallucinate far fewer citations, and that well-designed agentic harnesses with verification steps can reduce the problem further. The authors call for academic norms requiring disclosure of AI use to enable appropriate verification protocols.
Why It Matters
A 12x rise in fabricated citations across biomedical literature — a field where citation accuracy directly affects clinical and research decisions — represents a systemic academic integrity crisis that will accelerate regulatory scrutiny of AI use in scientific publishing.