Use of artificial intelligence is growing in every sector. In dentistry, it’s acted as help agents on office websites and generated personalized treatment plans. Now it’s expanding into literature, and academics are questioning where to draw the line. This week, Dentistry 411 will discuss the ethical and regulatory barriers to computerized contributions.
Official Guidance
The American Association of Dental Editors updated their guidelines on AI use in publishing last month. The 71-page paper was originally published in the American Association of Dental Editors Journal (AADEJ). It lays out several opportunities and risks in using AI for developing and editing dental writings. The stakeholder panel, comprised of directors, archivists, and legal advisors in dentistry, named three core principles for editors and publishers.
- Preserving authentic voice and human contributions to protect copyrightability and ethical representation
- Verifying content for accuracy using human judgement
- Providing readers with disclosures of AI use
The Necessity
These guidelines are in place to create a sense of uniformity within the academic community. The writers performed an analysis of existing guidelines from individual publishing organizations. All 19 publications reviewed had requirements in reporting AI usage in literature. But only 32% provided specific guidelines on how to use generative AI.
Repercussions of dishonestly related to AI were also inconsistent. Some journals had specific policies, labelling the act as a “breach of professional integrity.” Others threatened editorial investigation or author liability, although the consequences were unclear. The group decided these differences represented a lack of standard expectations, both pre-publication and in the case of misconduct.
These guardrails serve as protection to both the audience and publications. Disclaimers allow readers to use their own judgement in deciding how to evaluate information. Writers can publish work, knowing its content is valid. When dishonesty is reported or suspected, publications can act quickly and confidently, knowing there is a clear process to follow to resolve the issue.
Risks
The purpose of the guidelines is not to overlook the ways AI can be useful. They are designed to allow its use within a secure bubble. When used responsibly, the tool can increase efficiency and readability in both research and production. It’s a lack of attention that can cause issues.
We’ve been able to identify clear shortcomings with AI contributions when left unchecked. AI generates its content by evaluating existing data. This can quickly lead to plagiarism or even copyright infringement. AI has also been known to promote false or biased information in its results.
For this reason, it’s best to save AI for use at the beginning and end of a project, such as brainstorming topics or resources. Through your own process, it will become clear what, if any, of the information provided is inaccurate or irrelevant.
AI can also speed up the copy-editing process. Prompts to cut redundancies or find areas to clarify can help make your work more accessible to your audience. Always remember to keep an original copy to compare against. This will ensure your message and content are not overly altered. Regardless of when or how you use AI in your writing, you should always use human judgement as a final verification before publishing.
The Toolkit
To assist authors and publishers with AI use, the AADEJ designed a desk-side tool, modeled after their findings and recommendations. The tool maps out different uses for AI. Each action is labeled as either “recommended” if it is supported by the stakeholder panel and legal/ethical considerations, or “consider” if it does not align with the panel’s findings. The tool provides and quick and easy way for authors to verify whether their AI-use is permissible.
As AI works its way into more avenues of our lives and careers, it’s crucial to find ways to incorporate it ethically. When used responsibly, technology can help us spend more time contributing to the field, whether that’s through person-to-person connections or groundbreaking discoveries that revolutionize the practice.
