Deloitte Faces Second AI-Generated Research Scandal in Major Report
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In a second major controversy this year, Deloitte has been accused of using AI-generated research in a $1.6 million report commissioned by a Canadian provincial government. The report, which examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers and offered advice on developing a human resource strategy, allegedly contained at least four fake academic references. According to a Canadian news outlet, the Independent, the citations were pulled from non-existent papers, and real researchers were credited for work they did not perform. The report's authors attributed papers to researchers who do not exist, further exacerbating the issue. Deloitte Canada has responded by stating that they stand behind the report's findings and are revising the document to correct a small number of citation errors. However, the consulting firm maintains that AI was used selectively to support research citations, rather than to write the report itself. This is the second time this year that Deloitte has faced allegations of AI-generated research errors, following a similar controversy in Australia earlier this year, where the firm agreed to repay a partial refund for a $290,000 report.
