The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in writing has sparked discussions around ethics and authorship in the academic publishing industry. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) has presented an overview of the current debates on its website and has recently published a position statement regarding the use of AI in research papers.

The statement asserts that AI tools cannot be listed as authors of a paper, as they cannot meet the requirements for authorship, take responsibility for the submitted work, assert conflicts of interest, or manage copyright and license agreements. Authors must be transparent in disclosing if and how AI tools were used in their paper, and they are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.

EDP Sciences, as a member of COPE, supports this position on authorship and AI tools, while also acknowledging that its stance may evolve as AI tools and practices continue to develop. As the use of AI in writing becomes more prevalent, discussions around ethical considerations will undoubtedly continue. See the EDP Sciences Publishing Policies & Ethics webpage for more information.