Australia Age Verification Report Admits ChatGPT Use Amid Citation Errors

A report on age verification technology for social media in Australia has been found to contain multiple citation errors, with the author admitting to using ChatGPT during editing but denying the errors were caused by AI hallucinations. The report, conducted by the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) at a cost of 3.48 million Australian dollars, tested technologies to enforce the ban on under-16s using social media. Australia's communications minister had praised the report, saying it showed 'many valid options' and paved the way for the ban in December.

Guardian Australia found six faulty references in one chapter alone, including DOIs linking to nonexistent papers and incorrect author details. ACCS initially denied using AI, then admitted using ChatGPT to polish some sections, insisting all links were manually verified. An Australian Senate inquiry is investigating, and experts warn fake citations could mislead government decisions and erode public trust.