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

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? Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? – the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life – whether we want it to or not. Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation. https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/ 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. 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. (00:00) Has the internet ruined science, and how did we get here? (01:12) The emergence of systemic problems in scientific publishing (04:57) The fundamental mismatch between slow science and fast digital platforms (06:51) Predatory publishing and fake papers: what they look like and how they spread (09:37) The scale of problematic and AI-generated content in scientific literature (15:25) How misinformation in science affects public health and policy decisions (20:02) The role of AI and LLMs in accelerating scientific fraud (25:13) Public trust, the attention economy, and what science communication has become (31:12) The democratisation of science: genuine benefit or Trojan horse? (34:43) How social media headlines are distorting public understanding of research (39:28) The new generation of digital-native scientists: problem or solution? (42:19) The single most dangerous consequence of what the internet has done to science (43:15) The future of science and technology governance (45:09) Section 230, platform regulation, and who is actually accountable (47:15) AI inference engines and the concerns nobody is talking about loudly enough Key takeaways: • The Producer Pays Trap: The shift from reader-paid subscriptions to open access created an economic incentive to push volume over quality - opening the door for predatory publishers and schemes designed purely to churn out papers for profit • AI Degrading Scientific Integrity: Generative AI and LLMs are flooding the ecosystem with automated unverified research - creating over 1.2 million problematic papers and counting • Weaponisation in the Attention Economy: Scientific research is increasingly stripped of context, turned into clickbait, and co-opted to support partisan narratives, sell questionable products, or influence public policy • Fundamental Misunderstanding of How Science Works: Bad actors routinely misuse isolated papers as definitive proof for sweeping claims - when true science is iterative, community-driven, and not a tool for confirmation bias or algorithmic outrage If this episode got you thinking, check out: Journalism & News: From Fact-Checking to Attention-Seeking? | Media Trust, Misinformation & Citizen Journalism https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/MmJlMjUwNTAtNDQzNy00ZWQ0LWFkOWYtMTJhM2IwNzM1NGRh Sleep: Screens Stealing Our Slumber? | Screen Time, Sleep Science & Digital Wellbeing https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/N2NlNGQ3ZmItYTk1Yy00MjRlLTk5YjAtMmUyODM0OTRlNTQz The Internet: A Corporate Hijacking of Digital Freedom? | Big Tech, Digital Censorship & Online Freedom https://pod.link/1825601333/episode/MmIzMDA0ZTQtMDA1Ny00OTE1LTkyY2QtNjhhM2NlMzJmODdh Guest links – Kent Anderson & Joy Moore Website: https://www.disruptedscience.com/ Podcast: https://disruptedscience.podbean.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DisruptedScience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentranderson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-moore-a94865 Join the investigation Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/ Share your thoughts: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/ Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishow