AI tools that can generate realistic images are becoming a significant concern for research integrity specialists. The ease with which these tools can create fake scientific figures that are hard to distinguish from real ones raises fears of an increasingly untrustworthy scientific literature, Nature reports. Companies like Proofig and Imagetwin are developing AI-based solutions to help detect AI-generated images in manuscripts.
While some publishers have found evidence of AI-generated content in published papers, opinions differ on the extent of the problem. Experts like Elisabeth Bik suspect that fabricated images are already widespread, while others like Yoav Shechtman argue that existing tools are more useful for manipulating figures. Despite the challenges, many believe that detection technology will eventually catch up to today’s AI-generated fakes.