Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers
8 hours ago
- Julia Hirschberg was elected to three prestigious academic societies in quick succession, but later discovered they were fraudulent.
- The organizations, including the European Academy of Engineering (EAE) and the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (NAAI), have fabricated information, plagiarized content, and used manipulated images.
- Michael Chu, connected to all three organizations, operates a network of deceptive academies that mislead top scientists and universities.
- These societies aim to build legitimacy by listing renowned researchers without their consent, then sell memberships and awards to early-career scholars, particularly in China.
- Nature's investigation revealed numerous instances of scientists listed as members or leaders without knowledge, and fees for titles ranging from $30 to $10,000.
- Researchers like Henry Dyson and Michael Jordan have warned against these entities, and Jordan requested removal after learning about the pay-for-title model.