HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s MAHA Report With Fake AI-Generated Citations Corrected After Embarrassing Gaffe

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” report appears to have utilized artificial intelligence, raising concerns about the study’s credibility.

The report, part of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, scrutinized the state of health and wellness in the United States. Released last week, it called for a reevaluation of the nation’s food supply, vaccine safety and efficiency and the distribution of prescription drugs.

A thorough analysis of the MAHA report revealed that artificial intelligence was used to generate scientific citations, which many have criticized for being “inaccurate” or “sloppy.” The report was marred by numerous citation errors, including broken links, incorrect issue numbers and missing authors in its references.

The report cited hundreds of studies. However, many of the studies did not exist. According to an investigation by NOTUS, at least seven sources were completely nonexistent.

The formatting error most indicative of AI usage is the inclusion of “oaicite” within several of the URLs referenced. American artificial intelligence company OpenAI often provides the marker “oaicite” through responses generated by its ChatGPT model.

The MAHA report has become increasingly contested amid allegations of reliance on artificial intelligence, with many questioning the credibility of its findings.

“This is not an evidence-based report, and for all practical purposes, it should be junked at this point,” said George C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “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.”

The Department of Health and Human Services denoted the citation miscues as “minor citation and formatting errors.” Shortly after the allegations surfaced, the report was updated to remove mentions of “oaicite” within its references.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that, despite erroneous citations, the MAHA report’s revelations about American health remain valid.

In a briefing on the matter, Leavitt told reporters that the report’s issues “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.”