AI-Generated Errors Mar Government Report on Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban

The Age Check Certification Scheme conducted a $3.48 million pilot of age-assurance technologies intended to support Australia’s ban on users under 16, with communications minister Anika Wells citing the study as evidence of viable options. However, a Senate inquiry uncovered citation problems, noting that several references in the report seem to be AI hallucinations rather than genuine sources. Guardian Australia’s review found six DOI links that either pointed to non-existent papers, the wrong articles, or mismatched bibliographic details, including a study accessed before its publication date and a misattributed author named “Jamil.”

ACCS later conceded that ChatGPT was used to edit paragraphs but insisted the references were manually verified, though their own corrective list also contained errors. Department officials said the links worked when the report was released and that any broken links likely changed later, while experts warned that such inaccuracies could undermine policy decisions. Senators, including Fatima Payman, called for accountability and possible refunds from contractors.