When AI invents history: Why verification must be a core academic skill
This article examines the risks of relying on Generative AI, citing instances of 'hallucinations' and security breaches. It argues that verification remains a critical academic and professional skill in the age of AI.
Why it matters
It addresses the growing societal challenge of misinformation and the reliability of AI-generated content in critical decision-making.
In the wake of the recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Indonesia a tech-savvy youngster asked the popular Generative AI (Gen AI) tools—ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok—“Who was the first Indian leader to visit Indonesia’s historic Prambanan Shiva temple?” The unanimous answer was: Narendra Modi. It was wrong.
Suchitra Karthikeyan of The Hindu recently reported about this anomaly in her article Newspaper archives still trump answers generated by AI. On December 14, 1958, India’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, visited the temple during his official tour of Indonesia.
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A Supreme Court Bench recently set aside judgments from two adjudicating tribunals after discovering they relied on fake, AI-generated legal precedents.
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