Academic uses AI to write opinion piece, sparking controversy and retraction
Consensus Summary
In late May 2026, Western Sydney University’s pro vice-chancellor Cath Ellis published an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald defending AI use in education, which was later retracted after it was revealed she had used AI to draft the article without disclosure. Ellis uploaded 40,000 words of her own research into Copilot, an LLM, to generate early drafts, a process the university described as 'sophisticated and appropriate.' The Herald’s editor, Jordan Baker, called the undisclosed AI use 'unacceptable' and confirmed the piece violated their editorial guidelines, which prohibit AI-generated content. Ellis’s article responded to an earlier piece by Macquarie University academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who warned about students outsourcing learning to AI. Following the incident, the Herald and The Age announced they would require new contributors to certify no AI was used in their writing. The controversy highlights broader debates about transparency in AI-assisted authorship, with some arguing for strict disclosure rules and others defending AI as a legitimate tool for research and drafting.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Western Sydney University’s pro vice-chancellor for quality and integrity, Prof Cath Ellis, wrote an opinion piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald on May 2026 (exact date varies but all sources agree it was last month before June 2026) that was later retracted.
- The Sydney Morning Herald removed Ellis’s opinion piece after discovering it was generated with AI assistance, which violated their editorial guidelines.
- Ellis used Copilot (Microsoft’s LLM) to draft her article by uploading 40,000 words of her own original materials, which the model summarized to provide prompts for early drafts.
- The Sydney Morning Herald’s editor, Jordan Baker, stated in a follow-up article that the piece did not meet editorial guidelines because the use of AI was not disclosed.
- Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a Macquarie University academic, wrote an earlier opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald warning about students outsourcing learning to AI, which Ellis’s piece was a response to.
- Nine’s editorial policy prohibits using AI to write stories for publication, though assistive AI use (e.g., research, editing) does not require declaration.
- The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have since announced they will ask new contributors to guarantee AI was not used to write or construct articles.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The Guardian reported that Ellis’s piece was flagged by AI-detector service Pangram, which identified it as AI-generated.
- The Guardian mentioned that Ellis’s opinion piece did not declare AI use as of June 3, 2026.
- The Guardian included a reference to Crikey removing articles in March 2026 after a writer used AI for proofing, and a freelance journalist admitting AI use in a New York Times book review.
- The Guardian quoted Alan Finkel’s opinion piece arguing that AI use in writing undermines the art of persuasion and that readers deserve to know if content is AI-generated.
- The ABC noted that Ellis claimed she was not aware of the Herald’s editorial guidelines prohibiting AI writing, saying she would not have submitted the piece if she had known.
- The ABC included a quote from Professor Monica Attard of UTS, who suggested Ellis could have declared her AI use to strengthen her argument about AI’s validity.
- The ABC mentioned that Australian newsrooms are still experimental with AI, unlike Scandinavian outlets which have stricter processes.
- The SMH detailed specific AI-generated language patterns in Ellis’s piece, such as the 'rule-of-threes' (listing three verbs/concepts together) and overuse of short declarative sentences like 'It is not this. It is that.'
- The SMH quoted Ellis saying she viewed AI as 'a member of her team' and that it allowed her to focus on ideas rather than sentence-writing.
- The SMH included a quote from Dr Francesco Bailo of the University of Sydney’s Centre for AI, Trust and Governance, discussing debates over authorship and transparency in AI-assisted writing.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian and SMH state that Ellis’s piece was published on Sunday, May 2026, but do not provide an exact date, while the ABC does not specify a day but confirms it was last month before June 2026.
- The Guardian and ABC report that Ellis’s use of AI was not disclosed to the Herald, but Ellis told the SMH she was unaware of the Herald’s editorial guidelines prohibiting AI writing, implying she may not have intentionally misled.
- The Guardian and SMH describe Ellis’s AI use as 'sophisticated and appropriate' according to Western Sydney University, while Alan Finkel’s opinion piece in the Guardian argues it was flawed and undermined the art of persuasion.
Source Articles
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