'We Deserve Better': RFK Jr.'s MAHA Report Under Fire for AI-Generated Garbled Science

US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent report from the Marine Arctic Habitat Alliance (MAHA) on children's health in America is facing intense scrutiny with experts raising serious concerns about its scientific claims which appear to be the product of artificial intelligence.

On Thursday, AI experts reported that the White House's extensive 'MAHA Report' contains scientific citations that appear to be generated by artificial intelligence, resulting in many distorted academic references and invented pieces of research.

The MAHA report is an assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting children in US.

AI's Footprint On The Report's Foundations

The Post's review of an early version of the report shared with them revealed that of the 522 footnotes to scientific research, at least 37 are replicated throughout. Some citations list the incorrect author, and several studies referenced by the wide-ranging health report are non-existent, a detail first brought to light by the online news outlet NOTUS on Thursday morning.

Specific references feature 'oaicite' appended to their URLs, indicating that artificial intelligence sourced the research. This 'oaicite' marker points explicitly to using OpenAI, a US artificial intelligence firm.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT commonly produce unusually repetitive content that lacks a human sound or is wrong. They also tend to 'hallucinate' studies or answers that appear plausible yet are not real.

Experts Decry 'Shoddy Work' In MAHA Report

While AI technology can swiftly review research within a particular area, Oren Etzioni, a professor emeritus at the University of Washington who studies AI, expressed shock at the carelessness in the MAHA Report. 'Frankly, that's shoddy work,' he said. We deserve better.'

The report, 'The MAHA Report: Making Our Children Healthy Again,' which examined the fundamental reasons for America's declining health, was authored by a group comprising Cabinet officials and leading government scientists.

It was headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his past inaccuracies regarding science, and created in response to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. It attributes the decrease in Americans' life expectancy to exposure to environmental poisons, inadequate diet, and increased time spent on screens.

Non-Existent Studies And Attribution Errors

In the initial version of the report, a reference included a study called 'Overprescribing of Oral Corticosteroids for Children With Asthma' to reinforce the notion of children being overmedicated; however, this study seemed non-existent.

A comparable Paediatrics article from 2017 features the same lead author but distinct co-authors. This Paediatrics article was later exchanged for the apparently non-existent study in the report's online version on Thursday.

An article from US News & World Report concerning children's break and exercise time was initially referenced twice to support claims of reduced physical activity among US children; one instance displayed only a partial link. It also incorrectly presented Mlynek, A., and Spiegel, S., as distinct authors.

Neither reference mentioned Kate Rix, the story's actual writer. Neither Mlynek nor Spiegel is a genuine reporter for the publication. By Thursday evening, Rix had replaced them as the author in one of the online reports' references.

Questionable Citations And Their Implications

Almost half of the initial report's 522 citations contained web addresses for articles or studies. However, a Post examination of all the report's references revealed that at least 21 links were no longer working.

Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, stated that the nonsensical scientific references betray poor science and undermine the report's trustworthiness.

'This is not an evidence-based report, and for all practical purposes, it should be junked at this point. It cannot be used for any policymaking. It cannot even be used for any serious discussion because you can't believe what's in it,' he said.

White House Stands By Report Amidst Scrutiny

When asked about the non-existent citations at a news briefing on Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed that the White House places' complete confidence in Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS.'

'I understand there were some formatting issues with the MAHA Report that are being addressed, and the report will be updated, but it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government and is backed on good science that has never been recognized by the federal government,' Leavitt said.

Between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, the MAHA Report file on the White House site was updated to eliminate references to 'corrected hyperlinks' and one of the 'oaicite' markers. A second 'oaicite' marker, found alongside a New York Times Wirecutter piece on baby formula, stayed in the document until it was removed on Thursday evening. The White House kept updating the report into the late hours.

Andrew Nixon, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, stated that 'minor citation and formatting errors have been corrected, but the substance of the MAHA report remains the same — a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children.'

'Under President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, our federal government is no longer ignoring this crisis, and it's time for the media to also focus on what matters,' Nixon said.