Can Peer Review Keep Up in the Age of AI?

Health economist Jason Semprini studied policies requiring HPV vaccination for elementary school students and found that such mandates do not substantially reduce population-level cervical cancer rates, partly because they can drive vaccine avoidance. During peer review, a reviewer misread his work as questioning the HPV vaccine's effectiveness rather than the mandate policy itself. The episode underscores the growing strain on the anonymous, volunteer peer-review system and whether it can remain reliable as AI transforms research and publishing.