The Nature journal will not publish articles featuring AI-generated photos and videos

The editorial team of Nature, one of the oldest scientific journals in the world, has announced that it will not publish images or videos created using generative AI. According to the journals's website, discussions on this matter have been ongoing within the editorial team for several months and have finally reached a consensus. In the foreseeable future, Nature will not publish any content in which photographs, videos, or illustrations have been fully or partially generated using generative AI.

Artists, directors, illustrators, and photographers collaborating with the publication will need to confirm that none of their submitted works have been created or enhanced using generative artificial intelligence, such as Midjorney.

"The world is on the brink of an AI revolution. This revolution holds great promise, but artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, is also rapidly changing long-established rules in science, art, publishing, and other fields. In some cases, it took centuries to develop these rules, but the result was a system that preserves the integrity of science and protects content creators from exploitation. If we do not handle artificial intelligence with caution, all these achievements are at risk of being undermined," Nature's statement reads.

The editors of Nature also note that the use of generative AI somewhat conflicts with the publication's ethical principles, particularly those concerning honesty, transparency, and the ability to cite data sources in images.

"As researchers, editors, and publishers, we must know the data and image sources in order to verify their accuracy and truthfulness. Current generative AI tools do not provide access to their sources, making such verification impossible," Nature stated.

Currently, Nature allows the publication of texts created using AI tools like ChatGPT, but this must be clearly indicated. However, these tools are never credited as authors of the text.

"The use of large language models (LLMs) must be documented in the methods section or acknowledged in the article, and we expect authors to provide sources for all data, including those generated using AI. Additionally, no LLM tool will be accepted as an author of a scientific paper," the journal's editors emphasized.

Founded in 1869, Nature publishes peer-reviewed research across various academic disciplines, including those related to science and technology. The publication is one of the most cited and influential scientific journals in the world.