Spanish mathematician Pascual Diago decided to fight against fake scientific journals. He submitted an AI-written article to the fraudulent journal “Clinical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology” citing bogus studies by non-existent authors. The text was published a few days later, writes El País.
In a fictional six-page study that Diago created using the ChatGPT tool, it describes experiments in which mathematical operations were supposed to relieve anxiety in sixty pregnant women. The “author” himself admitted that he does not understand the creation of artificial intelligence. “I don’t know what the text is about, it doesn’t make any sense at all. I think it’s about the effect of teaching primes during pregnancy on children’s maths learning,” he explained.
Diago also indicated that it is a fake text in references to non-existent sources. Four of the studies cited in the text were attributed to the author by “Me-Lo I Nvent O”, which translates to “I made it up”. Further clues that the entire study is a fabrication are also the last names of the scientists created as puns on English vocabulary related to cheating. For example, “Cheatillo”, “Sneakydez”, “Trickón” or “Sneakarez” are mentioned.
The fraudulent periodical immediately accepted the offered study. However, the publishers requested that Diago include four studies in the sources by the same author: Jamshidkhan Chamani, a professor at Iran’s Azad Islamic University. The publications were not at all related to the topic of Diag’s article, they discussed, for example, the medicinal properties of turmeric and other plants.
In addition, for the publication of the text, a certain Robbie Williams asked the mathematician for an advance in the amount of 3,000 dollars (over 60,000 crowns in conversion). Diago replied with a text complete with the names of songs by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, attached a fake payment receipt and the Spanish “Cheatbank” logo. He had that generated by artificial intelligence as well.
Diago stated that his intention, in addition to the joke, was also to publicly condemn the so-called “predatory” magazines. It’s a growing business, with more than 20,000 as of Tuesday, according to Cabells. Five years ago, the company registered 15,000 fraudulent magazines. Although they are not considered by serious institutions, they have earned their place in the scientific system and thus harm credible publications.
