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Zero Risk Is Impossible: Confidentiality and Artificial Intelligence Use in Peer Review
Shigeki Matsubara1,2,3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
JMA Journal
|August 11, 2026
Summary
Reviewers should not upload manuscripts or their own notes to artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Even if data deletion is requested, AI systems may retain information, jeopardizing the confidentiality of unpublished research.
Area of Science:
- Scholarly publishing
- Scientific peer review
- Artificial Intelligence applications
Background:
- Journal guidelines often prohibit reviewers from uploading manuscripts to AI tools due to confidentiality concerns.
- Reviewers face risks of data non-deletion and potential breaches of confidential information within their review sheets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advise peer reviewers against uploading manuscripts or review sheets to artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
- To highlight the inherent confidentiality risks associated with using AI in the peer review process.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing journal and publisher guidelines on AI use in peer review.
- Consideration of AI data retention policies and the practicalities of data deletion.
- A personal experiment with AI systems (e.g., ChatGPT) to assess data retention after deletion requests.
Main Results:
- AI tools may retain uploaded data for training purposes, even after a deletion request, making complete deletion theoretically impossible.
- Confidential keywords or messages in review sheets can be exposed if uploaded to AI tools.
- Authors may upload manuscripts for linguistic refinement voluntarily, accepting the associated risks, unlike reviewers who handle sensitive, unpublished work.
Conclusions:
- Reviewers must exercise extreme caution with AI software due to unverifiable confidentiality and uncertain data deletion.
- To maintain the integrity of unpublished work, reviewers should refrain from uploading manuscripts or review sheets to AI tools.
- Simple, straightforward review sheets written in the reviewer's own English are recommended to mitigate AI-related risks.
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