Science: Has Rigour Been Sacrificed for Reach? | Predatory Publishing, AI-Generated Research, Scientific Fraud & Public Trust

<p>The internet promised a new era of science – one of open collaboration, democratised access, and knowledge freed from institutional gatekeepers. But has it instead created an ecosystem where fraudulent papers and AI-generated junk research are often indistinguishable from the real thing?</p><p>Welcome to Ruined By The Internet?<em> – </em>the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life<em> – </em>whether we want it to or not.</p><p>Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation. <a href="https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/</a></p><p>We're joined by Kent Anderson and Joy Moore - veterans of scientific publishing with over 50 combined years of experience - who have watched the self-built infrastructure science uses to regulate itself get systematically upended, and often from within. Their new book How the Internet Disrupted Science is out now.</p><p>In this episode we investigate how the shift to open access publishing opened the door to predatory journals and paper mills, examine how AI and LLMs are flooding the scientific ecosystem with automated unverified research, explore how the attention economy is stripping science of context and turning it into partisan weaponry, and ask whether the self-regulating infrastructure of science can survive the digital age - or whether it's already too late.</p><p>(00:00) Has the internet ruined science, and how did we get here?</p><p>(01:12) The emergence of systemic problems in scientific publishing</p><p>(04:57) The fundamental mismatch between slow science and fast digital platforms</p><p>(06:51) Predatory publishing and fake papers: what they look like and how they spread</p><p>(09:37) The scale of problematic and AI-generated content in scientific literature</p><p>(15:25) How misinformation in science affects public health and policy decisions</p><p>(20:02) The role of AI and LLMs in accelerating scientific fraud</p><p>(25:13) Public trust, the attention economy, and what science communication has become</p><p>(31:12) The democratisation of science: genuine benefit or Trojan horse?</p><p>(34:43) How social media headlines are distorting public understanding of research</p><p>(39:28) The new generation of digital-native scientists: problem or solution?</p><p>(42:19) The single most dangerous consequence of what the internet has done to science</p><p>(43:15) The future of science and technology governance</p