Anyone can fake a scientific image with AI, tricking even academic journals – and undermining trust in science

Anyone can fake a scientific image with AI, tricking even academic journals – and undermining trust in science

AI-generated images infiltrate academic publishing undetected, eroding trust in visual evidence as detection tools lag behind generation capabilities. Disclosure standards on image provenance – distinguishing AI-generated from direct observation – emerge as critical for institutional credibility in an age where visual authority can no longer rely on production difficulty.