Economists Debate AI Refereeing: Efficiency Boost or Open Source Monopoly?
alejandroll10 · x · 2026-08-07
The introduction of Refine, an AI refereeing tool, in economics has sparked discussion among scholars regarding changes to the academic publishing process. Proponents argue that using AI for technical comments improves paper quality and shows the field's openness to change.
However, critics highlight potential risks: in equilibrium, authors might run the tool twice (to pre-check), wasting resources; mandatory adoption by top journals like AER could create a de facto monopoly, killing open-source alternatives; and the business model is exploitative, costing $50/hour for machine work while human referees get nothing.
Related event: Top Economics Journals Introduce AI Tool Refine for Technical Verification(9 posts)→
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