Trends in AI-generated content in The Lancet Regional Health commentaries, 2020–2025

In this study, we analyze the rise of AI-generated and AI-assisted content in commentaries published in the The Lancet Regional Health journals between 2020 and 2025. We analyze 993 comments published during the period and using Pangram AI detector we are able to identify trends in AI usage over time and across regions. In addition, we also conduct an internal validation of the Pangram AI detector using pre-LLM texts , ChatGPT-assisted texts and ChatGPT-generated content. The results illustrate an increase in AI-generated and AI-assisted use since 2023, with substantial heterogeneity across regions. This raises important questions regarding academic integrity, transparency and knowledge production.