By Luca Wang

Artificial intelligence is quietly embedding itself into nearly every corner of how information is produced today. Academic papers, health blogs, social feeds, and even daily news reports are beginning to carry signs of AI. While it can make the process faster or more efficient, it can also introduce new problems. As the use of AI grows, certain patterns start to appear, and new rules emerge around what counts as trustworthy writing.

Academic Publishing

In the world of peer-reviewed journals, AI has become a common writing partner. Researchers have started to rely on AI to refine their writing, smooth out abstracts, and find useful references out of large numbers of papers. For researchers writing in a second language, AI makes it easier to communicate their ideas clearly to a wider audience.

At the same time, challenges are emerging. Many editors and reviewers have flagged articles containing fabricated citations or texts that read unnaturally. In 2023, Nature reported some submissions included AI-generated “hallucinated” references (or, as they’ve also come to be known, ‘hallucitations’). To respond, many journals now require the author to reveal whether AI tools were used. However, policies are not always consistent or strictly enforced, allowing room for uncertainty. 

Social Media

AI is hard to miss on today’s social platforms. Whole accounts run purely on automated tools that pump out posts and even chat with followers. For many smaller businesses, this provides a steady stream of content while reducing the need for staff. For influencers, this allows them to maintain an online presence around the clock.

The downside to AI-generated content is that it can spread far faster than any fact-checkers can keep up. As reported by media analysts, convincing post that contains misleading information can reach thousands, if not millions, of users within hours. This happens because many social media platforms reward whatever drives engagement, allowing misleading content to travel further than verified content. 

Health Blogging

AI has also become a regular in health blogging. Many sites now regularly use AI to draft quick articles about new studies, break down complicated medical terms, or generate advice. When not misused, AI can simplify complicated and important health information for everybody.

Since health is an area that cannot be compromised, even small errors, whether in a treatment description, a dosage suggestion, or a lifestyle recommendation, can have serious consequences. Many recent evaluations have found that AI-generated health content often lacks reliable sources or includes outdated details. This is why researchers have emphasized that any AI-assisted health writing should always be reviewed by qualified professionals before publication.

Newsrooms and Journalism

News organizations have also started to rely on AI. Many outlets use it to create short sports recaps, summarized financial reports, and suggested headlines. These tools help speed up everyday work and give journalists more time to focus on deeper and more complicated stories. As the Columbia Journalism Review notes, AI is retooling rather than completely transforming journalism, although there are useful efficiencies to be gained. 

But experiments have shown time and time again that there is a limit to this approach. When Italian newspaper Il Foglio published a daily insert written entirely by AI, editor Claudio Cerasa concluded that while AI can write irony surprisingly well, it cannot replace the judgment and perspectives of real journalists.

Conclusion

Looking across academia, social media, health, and journalism, some obvious patterns have appeared: AI helps make content faster, cheaper, and easier to produce, but reduces the accuracy of said content and trust from viewers. Rules about disclosing AI use are still inconsistent, which makes it harder for readers to know when they are engaging with AI-assisted writing. 

AI already plays a large role in the information ecosystem. It now shapes how research is shared, how businesses and influencers keep audiences engaged, how health advice is posted, and how news is reported. In many ways, AI makes information more accessible, but it can also spread mistakes faster than they can be corrected, which risks damaging the public's trust.

To address this, fact-checking and AI-checking systems are becoming essential. Just as traditional fact-checkers aim to verify accuracy, AI detectors help reveal when automated systems are influencing what we read. Tools such as GPTZero have provided a way to examine authorship and add transparency to digital information. The future of AI in writing will not be decided only by how widely it is used, but how carefully it is monitored and held accountable.