The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.

Scientific and medical journals are being inundated with letters to the editor, many of which are suspected to be written by artificial intelligence, likely through chatbots. This trend poses a significant threat to the integrity of scientific discourse, a crucial component of journal publishing that refines research and sparks new avenues of investigation. The issue came to light when Dr. Carlos Chaccour, a tropical disease specialist, received a strongly worded letter critical of his published research on malaria control. This letter, submitted shortly after his paper appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, raised objections based on a supposed earlier publication, but upon investigation, it became clear that the cited article did not exist. Dr. Chaccour's experience prompted him to in... download the app to read more