Source citation matters because it’s how we “show our thinking.” And we reveal the basis for our assertions. Our evidence. This is foundational for civic dialogue.
When someone uses nonexistent sources (likely AI hallucinated) it shows their shallow thinking is poorly supported by actual research, actual evidence, or actual thinking. Shame shame.
An ongoing Senate inquiry seeking to further strengthen the [Australian] social media ban law received a submission highlighting at least two citation errors in the report. The “citations … appear to be AI hallucinated, rather than being based on real sources,” it said.
This example of adults thinking and writing poorly, supported by AI, could be a valuable one to share and discuss with students.
Report supporting Australia’s teen social media ban appears to contain AI hallucinations, Senate hears (The Guardian, 16 Aug 2026)
