Nearly 30% of US STEM PhD dissertation abstracts are now AI-written, NBER paper finds
lmoroney · x · 2026-10-21
An NBER working paper by Daniel P. Gross and colleagues finds almost 30% of US STEM PhD dissertations now have AI-generated abstracts, typically 300–1,000 words. AI writing in the abstract predicts more AI writing in the body, and the updated version notes almost nobody discloses AI use unless universities build disclosure into the dissertation template. The author's practical tip: keep a running note of where AI helped (outlining, editing, summarizing) and disclose it in acknowledgments.
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