PwC Middle East is under scrutiny after an investigation found that several AI-assisted reports contained references that did not exist. The issue came to light after readers tried to verify the sources and found that many could not be traced. Ironically, these reports were made to advise businesses and governments on AI, autonomous agents and the future of electric vehicles.
According to research by GPTZero, reports were packed with AI hallucinations, fake citations, broken links, and academic studies that never existed. During the research, the researchers found, in one instance, the source of the URL says, ‘utm_source=chatgpt.com.’
PwC Middle East said it is reviewing the matter and is fact-checking each of its reports. Previously, GTPZero has caught similar AI-generated reports published by KPMG and EY, which had AI hallucinations.
The case has once again highlighted one of AI's biggest weaknesses. These systems can produce fluent and convincing text, but they can also invent facts or references if their answers are not carefully checked. This is why many experts say AI should support human work, not replace it.