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R0029/2026-03-27/Q003 — Query Definition
Research R0029 — Plural Voice Attribution
Run 2026-03-27
Query Q003

Query as Received

Have academic journals, conferences, or publishers issued formal policies on listing AI as a co-author or contributor? What positions have Nature, Science, ACM, IEEE, ICML, NeurIPS, and other major venues taken?

Query as Clarified

  • Subject: Formal policies from specific named venues (Nature, Science, ACM, IEEE, ICML, NeurIPS) and major publishers (Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis)
  • Scope: Whether AI can be listed as author/co-author; disclosure requirements; accountability frameworks
  • Evidence basis: Official policy documents, editorial statements, call-for-papers guidelines from the named venues
  • Temporal sensitivity: Policies evolving rapidly; most formalized 2023-2025

Ambiguities Identified

  1. "Formal policies" ranges from official editorial policy to call-for-papers language — the query encompasses both.
  2. The query asks about "listing AI as co-author or contributor" — these are different categories in most venues' policies.
  3. Some venues have changed policies over time (e.g., Science reversed its initial ban), so the current state matters more than the initial position.

Sub-Questions

  1. What is each named venue's current policy on AI authorship?
  2. What disclosure requirements do they impose?
  3. Is there consensus across venues or significant disagreement?
  4. How have policies evolved (especially Science's reversal)?
  5. What do the major commercial publishers (Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley) require?

Hypotheses

ID Hypothesis Description
H1 Yes — universal prohibition with disclosure All major venues prohibit AI authorship and require disclosure, with substantial consensus
H2 No — policies are absent or inconsistent Major venues have not issued formal policies, or policies vary too much to constitute a norm
H3 Partial — prohibition consensus exists but disclosure requirements vary significantly AI authorship is universally prohibited but the specifics of disclosure, accountability, and enforcement differ