In a concerning development on the disinformation front, fake academic journals consisting entirely of AI-generated articles are beginning to infiltrate the world of academic publishing. Assistant professors of philosophy, Tomasz Żuradzk and Leszek Wroński, highlighted this issue in a post on Retraction Watch, a blog that tracks retractions of academic studies.

The three journals in question are published by Addleton Academic Publishers and are entirely composed of articles generated by artificial intelligence. While it may seem like just another case of spammy content on the internet, the implications of these fake journals run deeper. They demonstrate how easily the systems used to evaluate researchers for promotions and hiring can be manipulated, potentially wreaking havoc on the careers of knowledge workers in various industries.

One widely used evaluation system, CiteScore, even ranks these fake journals among the top 10 for philosophy research. How is this possible? The answer lies in the extensive cross-citations between the fake publications. Out of 541 citations found in one of Addleton's journals, 208 were traced back to the publisher's other fraudulent publications. These rankings play a crucial role in decisions regarding academic awards, hiring, and promotion, thereby influencing the publication strategies of researchers.

While one could argue that CiteScore itself is flawed, it is evident that generative AI and its exploitation are disrupting systems that people's livelihoods depend on in unexpected and potentially damaging ways. However, this situation also highlights the need to reevaluate and redesign systems like CiteScore to be more equitable, holistic, and inclusive.

In other AI news, DeepMind, the AI research lab owned by Google, is working on developing technology that can generate soundtracks for videos. The AI analyzes video descriptions and creates music, sound effects, and even dialogue that match the tone and content of the video, showcasing the potential for AI in the creative industry.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have trained a humanoid robot called Musashi to drive a small electric car. Utilizing camera systems as substitutes for human eyes, Musashi can "see" the road ahead as well as the views reflected in the car's side mirrors, presenting advancements in autonomous driving technology.

Genspark, a new AI-powered search platform, is utilizing generative AI to provide custom summaries in response to search queries. With $60 million raised from investors, Genspark competes with other search platforms like Perplexity, aiming to deliver comprehensive and accurate search results.

In an interesting research paper published at CVPR, a group of researchers from Nvidia, USC, UW, and Stanford propose using AI to resolve ambiguous or unusual driving scenarios by having an AI read the local drivers' handbook. Their Large Language Driving Assistant (LLaDa) accesses driving manuals for specific regions, helping autonomous vehicles navigate local rules, customs, and unexpected circumstances.

In the world of generative AI, Runway, a company focused on AI tools for film and image content creators, unveils Gen-3 Alpha. Trained on a wide range of images and videos, this model can generate video clips from text descriptions and still images, offering increased fidelity and control over the structure, style, and motion of the generated videos.

However, not all AI applications are successful. McDonald's recently announced the removal of automated order-taking technology from over 100 of its restaurants. Co-developed with IBM, this AI-powered tech faced criticism for its inaccuracies and frequent mistakes during customer orders. This highlights the challenges of automating jobs that require understanding diverse accents and dialects.

While AI continues to shape various industries, the emergence of fake AI-generated journals serves as a harsh reminder of the potential harm and manipulation associated with these technologies. It is crucial to address these issues and ensure that AI is utilized responsibly and in a manner that benefits society as a whole.