Latest news with #citationerrors
CNA
18-07-2025
- CNA
NTU upholds zero mark for student initially accused of using AI
SINGAPORE: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has upheld the zero mark awarded to a student who was accused of using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in her work. The case emerged after the student posted on Reddit on Jun 19 about being penalised for using AI in a final essay for a module because she made citation errors and used a reference organiser. After that, NTU convened a panel with AI experts to assess her appeal. She was one of three university students penalised for using the technology. NTU said on Friday (Jul 18) that the panel identified 14 instances of false citations or data in the submitted essay, noting that non-existent sources were cited and they were not 'mere typos'. 'The panel stipulated that citing non-existent sources is a serious form of academic misconduct as the accurate citation of sources is the foundation of academic research and writing. False citations of this nature are often due to factual inaccuracies generated by generative AI,' said NTU in its statement. All cases of academic misconduct are documented in the internal records of the students, the university said. 'The outcome of the appeal panel is final. We urge everyone to respect the integrity of the appeals process and refrain from making personal attacks against any individual involved.' Responding to questions from CNA about the outcome of her appeal, the student, who requested to remain anonymous, said the school confirmed to her that she was given a zero mark because of the mistakes in her essay, rather than for the use of AI. 'Their entire talk with me during the meeting was on how I can avoid making essay mistakes in the future, didn't tackle AI usage at all,' she told CNA. According to the student, the zero mark was upheld because of the professor's standards around writing. While she was reassured that there will be no permanent record, she still felt the situation was unfair. 'I'm just upset that there's no AI found so the goalpost shifted from AI to my writing standard,' she said. The student had admitted to using a reference organiser, which is a tool that collects and organises references and citations. She found the alphabetical order sorter online when she searched 'citation sorter A-Z'. 'They didn't bring up my citation sorter at all, which was initially one of the things I was penalised for,' she told CNA. As part of her appeal, she provided proof of her writing process. She paid for Draftback, a Google Chrome extension that records keystrokes, to retroactively show that she typed her essay out by hand instead of copying and pasting it from ChatGPT. When asked about the mistakes and why the school may have said they were not 'mere typos', the student declined to share a full list of the 14 mistakes because she was not sure if the document is confidential. Addressing the non-existent sources, she added: 'It's only non-existent because of the typos. And frankly writing citations wrongly is quite common amongst undergraduates. I just got unlucky.' She shared some examples of her mistakes – misspelling an author's last name as Lee instead of Li and two instances of getting the citation date wrong. 'Frankly speaking I'm too tired to fight any further and exhausted all my avenues. So I think I'll just move on, at least I know in my heart I didn't use AI and they couldn't prove it,' she said.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
RFK Jr. faces AI scandal after allegedly using ChatGPT for MAHA report
The stunning appearance of multiple citation errors in Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' report could be due to the sloppy use of Artificial Intelligence, according to experts and telltale indicators. The White House and the Health and Human Services Department were forced to respond Thursday to a bombshell report that identified multiple citations to academic articles buried within the report that did not actually exist. Some of the errors appeared to carry hallmarks of generative AI which users have found is designed to provide an authoritative sounding answer when producing copy as it scrapes the internet for content and information. Some references contain 'oaicite', which is indicative of the use of OpenAI , in their URLs. The citation errors were confirmed by human beings who either said they didn't write some of the studies listed, or that their work relating to the health issues at hand came in other formats and publications. Some said interpretations of their data were also incorrect. 'The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,' epidemiologist Katherine Keyes told NOTUS , which exposed many of the lapses. The feds have since purged seven citations from the report, which Kennedy released with much fanfare days ago. Another academic whose work got cited, Mariana G. Figueiro, told the publication: 'The conclusions in the report are not accurate and the journal reference is incorrect. It was not published in Pediatrics. Also, the study was not done in children, but in college students.' Thirty-seven of the report's citations occur multiple times, according to the Washington Post . 'Frankly, that's shoddy work,' Oren Etzioni, an AI expert at the University of Washington told the paper. 'We deserve better.' At the White House Thursday, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt directly if Kennedy and his team of cabinet members who compiled the report relied on AI. 'I can't speak to that. I would refer you to the Department of Health and Human Services. What I know is just what I told you,' she responded. 'We have complete confidence in Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS,' she said, when asked about the reports that unearthed the fake references. 'I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated,' she said. 'But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government is and is backed on good science that has never been recognized by the federal government. RFK, Jr., who has already drawn controversy for sowing doubts about vaccines and other views, gushed about the report before its release, which came after his team had a single public meeting. 'The report is the product of a consensual process, and it represents a collaborative effort of all the agencies and the White House. And it represents a consensus that is probably the strongest and most radical consensus by a government agency in history about the state of America's health,' he said. 'MAHA's become hot,' President Trump said of RFK, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' push. Before its release some farm state Republican lawmakers had raised concerns that the MAHA report would go after pesticides and farm practices they consider critical for farm efficiency. The report calls to examine the 'over-utilization of medication' such as steroids and questions the childhood vaccine schedule. But the author identified with a study showing a jump in use of corticosteroids 'denied writing it,' according to NOTUS, and called the conclusion an 'overgeneralization' of his other findings. The number of errors mushroomed this week as more outsiders picked at the purported data. Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling didn't write the report attributed to him on 'Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern.' Teeing off on the revelations was Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington. 'What do you know? Secretary released areport with made-up sources,' she said, attaching emojis for a brain and a worm. 'This fully discredits the MAHA Commission report. RFK Jr. is a deranged conspiracy theorist, so no one should be surprised by his lies, but we should still call them out,' she wrote.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
RFK Jr. faces AI scandal after 'using ChatGPT' for his big MAHA report
The stunning appearance of multiple citation errors in Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' report could be due to the sloppy use of Artificial Intelligence, according to experts and telltale indicators. The White House and the Health and Human Services Department were forced to respond Thursday to a bombshell report that identified multiple citations to academic articles buried within the report that did not actually exist. Some of the errors appeared to carry hallmarks of generative AI which users have found is designed to provide an authoritative sounding answer when producing copy as it scrapes the internet for content and information. Some references contain 'oaicite', which is indicative of the use of OpenAI, in their URLs. The citation errors were confirmed by human beings who either said they didn't write some of the studies listed, or that their work relating to the health issues at hand came in other formats and publications. Some said interpretations of their data were also incorrect. 'The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,' epidemiologist Katherine Keyes told NOTUS, which exposed many of the lapses. The feds have since purged seven citations from the report, which Kennedy released with much fanfare days ago. Another academic whose work got cited, Mariana G. Figueiro, told the publication: 'The conclusions in the report are not accurate and the journal reference is incorrect. It was not published in Pediatrics. Also, the study was not done in children, but in college students.' Thirty-seven of the report's citations occur multiple times, according to the Washington Post. 'Frankly, that's shoddy work,' Oren Etzioni, an AI expert at the University of Washington told the paper. 'We deserve better.' At the White House Thursday, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt directly if Kennedy and his team of cabinet members who compiled the report relied on AI. 'I can't speak to that. I would refer you to the Department of Health and Human Services. What I know is just what I told you,' she responded. 'We have complete confidence in Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS,' she said, when asked about the reports that unearthed the fake references. 'I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated,' she said. 'But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government is and is backed on good science that has never been recognized by the federal government. RFK, Jr., who has already drawn controversy for sowing doubts about vaccines and other views, gushed about the report before its release, which came after his team had a single public meeting. 'The report is the product of a consensual process, and it represents a collaborative effort of all the agencies and the White House. And it represents a consensus that is probably the strongest and most radical consensus by a government agency in history about the state of America's health,' he said. 'MAHA's become hot,' President Trump said of RFK, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' push. Before its release some farm state Republican lawmakers had raised concerns that the MAHA report would go after pesticides and farm practices they consider critical for farm efficiency. The report calls to examine the 'over-utilization of medication' such as steroids and questions the childhood vaccine schedule. But the author identified with a study showing a jump in use of corticosteroids 'denied writing it,' according to NOTUS, and called the conclusion an 'overgeneralization' of his other findings. The number of errors mushroomed this week as more outsiders picked at the purported data. Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling didn't write the report attributed to him on 'Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern.'
