According to Hong Kong Free Press , a professor at the University of Hong Kong resigned as associate dean after a scientific paper he authored was found to contain "fake" references generated by AI.

On December 18, HKU announced that Professor Paul Yip of the Faculty of Social Sciences had resigned from his position as vice dean as part of disciplinary and corrective measures related to the AI ​​citation scandal that erupted last month. Professor Yip also withdrew from the faculty's research committees but will continue to serve as Director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Prevention and Research at HKU.

On the same day, the university announced the results of an investigation into the article titled “Forty years of fertility transition in Hong Kong,” published in the academic journal China Population and Development Studies . The results showed that some of the references in the article were non-existent publications, created by AI.

Professor Paul Yip.jpg
Professor Paul Yip. Photo: The Standard

According to HKU, the lead author of the paper, PhD student Bai Yiming, did not disclose the use of AI, while Professor Paul Yip is listed as the co-author. Professor Yip has requested the paper be withdrawn from the journal, and PhD student Bai Yiming is under disciplinary review.

HKU emphasizes its commitment to maintaining rigorous academic and research standards, requiring all researchers to ensure their work meets international standards of quality and ethics. The university also stated that it will enhance mandatory training for all researchers on the use of AI in academic research to protect scientific integrity.

Notably, HKU recently regained its position as Asia's top university in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, for the first time in 15 years.

The official article has been withdrawn.

According to Springer Nature, the publisher of the journal China Population and Development Studies, the investigation began on November 15 after questions arose about the accuracy of the references in the article. Earlier this week, the journal's editor-in-chief decided to retract the article.

Springer Nature stated that they were unable to verify the source of at least 24 references. The authors later admitted to using AI tools but failed to disclose this. The editorial team also acknowledged shortcomings in the reference verification process, leading the editor-in-chief to lose confidence in the paper's credibility.

Initial suspicions arose on the social media platform Threads in early November, when a user claimed that most of the sources cited in the article "did not exist." The Ming Pao newspaper later reported that, among the 61 listed references, 21 included DOI codes and 35 included Google Scholar links. However, upon accessing these links, 7 DOI codes did not exist, and 22 Google Scholar links did not yield corresponding articles.

In an interview with HK01 last month, Professor Paul Yip stated that the graduate student had used AI to "arrange" the references but did not double-check the content. He acknowledged responsibility as the associated author, offered an apology, and affirmed that the paper was not a fabrication and had undergone two rounds of peer review before publication.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/giao-su-dai-hoc-tu-chuc-pho-khoa-sau-be-boi-tai-lieu-tham-khao-do-ai-tao-ra-2474211.html