Waseda University and 13 other global universities got caught sneaking secret prompts into research papers to trick AI peer reviewers.
The scheme was first reported by Nikkei this week. Researchers hid prompts in white text or tiny fonts invisible to human eyes but readable by AI tools.
At least 17 papers, mainly computer science, on arXiv are flagged. These prompts aim to coax AI reviewers into giving glowing feedback. 
Experts warn this exposes cracks in academic publishing and risks undercutting research integrity.
The affected papers come from 14 universities across eight countries.
This is a sharp escalation in attempts to game the peer review system amid rising AI use.
No official statements from the universities involved yet. Monitoring reactions.
