Peer review is under growing pressure as research output rises and AI-assisted writing makes it easier to produce manuscripts. Ars Technica reports that the volunteer system used to check academic work is struggling to keep pace with the volume of papers needing review.
The issue is not simply that AI can write text. Reviewers must judge methods, evidence, novelty, and possible errors, and those tasks take time even when a manuscript is clearly written. If AI tools increase the number of submissions without a matching increase in qualified reviewers, journals and conferences face slower decisions and weaker screening.
The practical risk is that low-quality or insufficiently checked work can move further through the system, while careful researchers spend more time reviewing and less time doing their own work. AI may eventually help with parts of the review process, but the core judgment still depends on expertise and incentives that the current system already struggles to supply.