The National Institutes of Health is cracking down on research applications written by AI.
The agency said it will not consider applications that are “either substantially developed by AI, or contain sections substantially developed by AI, to be original ideas of applicants,” according to an Aug. 5 notice. NIH, which employs AI-detection technology, will also potentially rescind grants if AI-generated content is found after the fact.
“AI tools may be appropriate to assist in application preparation for limited aspects or in specific circumstances, but researchers should be aware that using AI comes with its own risks,” the agency stated. “AI use may result in plagiarism, fabricated citations, or other kinds of research misconduct.”
NIH has recently been receiving a flood of applications, with AI tools allowing some principal investigators to file over 40 applications during a submission round, according to the notice. The agency will now limit new, renewal, resubmission or revision applications to six a year per individual.
