By 2024, researchers identified an explosion of AI-generated fake scientific papers infiltrating peer-reviewed journals. Papers contained telltale phrases like 'Certainly, here is a possible introduction' — left in from ChatGPT prompts. One paper on cancer research began with 'Regenerate response.' Retraction Watch tracked record retractions. A single paper mill network had published thousands of fraudulent studies. The crisis threatened the entire system of scientific knowledge that AI itself is trained on.