Fearful of AI-Generated Grant Proposals, NIH Limits Scientists to Six Applications Per Year
upstart writes:
Some critics of the new policy say the cap could hinder researchers in need of funding:
Scientists hoping to obtain some of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH's) dwindling research funds face a new challenge: They will be limited to submitting six applications per calendar year, according to a notice the agency released this week. The policy, which also prohibits applications written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence, is ostensibly designed to prevent researchers from overwhelming the NIH grant-review system with large numbers of proposals, especially low-quality ones produced with AI.
But some critics worry the cap-which applies to grant resubmissions, renewals, and revisions as well as original applications-will hurt scientists who are already struggling to obtain federal funding as NIH freezes and rescinds many grants for political reasons and President Donald Trump's administration seeks to cut the agency's annual budget by more than one-third.
[...] Others, however, argue the cap is warranted-and perhaps even necessary. "It's a reasonable approach to an unfortunate problem," says Michael Lauer, who served as deputy director for extramural research at NIH until his retirement in February. (NIH did not provide a current official for a requested interview on the new policy.)
Lauer notes that not long before he left NIH, he and his colleagues identified a principal investigator (PI) who had submitted more than 40 distinct applications in a single submission round, most of which appeared to be partially or entirely AI generated. The incident was "stunning" and "disappointing," says Lauer, who was not involved in creating the new NIH policy but hopes the cap will discourage other researchers from abusing the system.
Aside from the cap, the policy makes clear that NIH will not consider AI-generated proposals to be the original work of applicants. "NIH will continue to employ the latest technology in detection of AI-generated content to identify AI generated applications," the agency's notice says. If AI use is detected after an award has been granted, NIH warns, the agency may refer the matter to the Office of Research Integrity while imposing penalties. It's unclear whether applicants will have an opportunity to appeal these decisions, or which tools will be used to detect AI-generated content. These programs can vary wildly in terms of accuracy, with some showing bias against non-native English speakers.
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