CNKI removes papers that list DeepSeek and Gemini as authors
TL;DR
CNKI removed papers naming DeepSeek or Gemini as authors but still permits disclosed AI assistance.
China National Knowledge Infrastructure said on July 15 that it removed papers listing artificial intelligence systems such as DeepSeek and Gemini as authors. Tongfang CNKI Digital Technology published the policy through CNKI's official WeChat account but disclosed no paper count, titles, journals or human author names.
CNKI said copyright belongs to natural persons, legal persons or unincorporated organizations under Chinese law. AI has no civil-subject status, capacity for civil rights or capacity for civil conduct, so it cannot be credited as an author. Copyright in AI-assisted output belongs to researchers who performed the substantive intellectual work.
The statement also based the ban on accountability. Authors must answer for factual accuracy, reasoning and academic issues and must be available for review, correction and accountability; AI cannot fulfill those duties. CNKI currently accepts only natural persons, legal persons or unincorporated organizations as authors.
The policy bars AI authorship, not the use of generative AI in research or writing. Researchers who use AI assistance must identify the tool and method in the methods or acknowledgements section so the use remains transparent and traceable. CNKI can refuse distribution for papers that do not comply.
The July 15 statement confirmed that removals had occurred but gave no total number of affected papers.
via Beijing Daily / The Paper / Ifeng
CNKI said copyright belongs to natural persons, legal persons or unincorporated organizations under Chinese law. AI has no civil-subject status, capacity for civil rights or capacity for civil conduct, so it cannot be credited as an author. Copyright in AI-assisted output belongs to researchers who performed the substantive intellectual work.
The statement also based the ban on accountability. Authors must answer for factual accuracy, reasoning and academic issues and must be available for review, correction and accountability; AI cannot fulfill those duties. CNKI currently accepts only natural persons, legal persons or unincorporated organizations as authors.
The policy bars AI authorship, not the use of generative AI in research or writing. Researchers who use AI assistance must identify the tool and method in the methods or acknowledgements section so the use remains transparent and traceable. CNKI can refuse distribution for papers that do not comply.
The July 15 statement confirmed that removals had occurred but gave no total number of affected papers.
via Beijing Daily / The Paper / Ifeng
