AI-generated research papers published under names of prominent academics without consent

Several little-known academic journals have published papers believed to be AI-generated under the names of prominent researchers who say they neither wrote the articles nor authorised the use of their identities, raising concerns about academic publishing ethics and the misuse of scholars' credentials.

An investigation by Times Higher Education (THE) identified three journals allegedly involved in the practice: the American International Journal of Research and Innovation (AIJRI), the American Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation (AJAMRI), and the American Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (AJFMR).

The issue came to light after Alan Said, professor of computer science at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, received a Google Scholar notification about a paper published under his name in AIJRI. Titled “Intelligence Systems Supporting Sustainable Global Development”, the article was loosely connected to his research interests in artificial intelligence and sustainability. However, Said said he had not written it.

After reporting the paper, Said was informed by the journal's domain registrar that it had been removed. However, the article remained online, and its listed author was changed. Screenshots reviewed by THE showed that the same paper appeared under three different authors over a period of two days.

Prominent researchers' names used in papers

The investigation found that AJAMRI had published dozens of papers attributed to high-profile academics, including Stanford University computer scientists Fei-Fei Li and Christopher Manning, and University of California, Berkeley professors Michael I. Jordan and Stuart Russell.

Jure Leskovec, a professor of computer science at Stanford University, was also listed as an author. He told THE that he had not written the paper, participated in its submission or authorised the use of his name.

Several other academics named in the journals reportedly confirmed that they had not consented to being listed as authors.

Journals listed academics on editorial boards without permission

The investigation also raised questions about the journals' editorial boards. All three publications listed Denish Brown as their editor-in-chief and displayed similar website graphics and board memberships.

The journals' websites listed dozens of editorial board members, many affiliated with Indian higher education institutions. However, some academics said they had no knowledge of their association with the publications.

Kanakaraju Manupati, a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University, told THE that he had not agreed to serve on the editorial board and was surprised to find his name listed there.

THE reported that it contacted the journals for comment but received no response before publication.

Publication fees advertised by journals

The three journals describe themselves as peer-reviewed, open-access and multidisciplinary publications. Their websites also advertise fees for publishing papers.

AIJRI and AJAMRI list a charge of US$200 for papers written by five or more non-Indian authors. AJFMR advertises fees of US$80 for papers with one to four authors and US$10 for those with five or more authors.

Although the journals' websites display archives of papers supposedly published in earlier years, all three domain names were registered in 2026, according to the investigation.

The findings raise concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to produce academic content and the unauthorised attribution of research to established scholars. They also highlight the potential risks for early-career researchers and PhD students who may mistake such publications for credible academic journals.