AI failures · Fabricated content

PwC Middle East — Four Thought Leadership Reports Corrected After Fabricated Citations and Invented Framework Adopters

Verified Checked against its sources on October 16, 2026 3 sources quoted

Where it happened: Saudi Arabia; Denmark; United States; Australia
Organization: PwC Middle East
Date: GPTZero investigation published July 28, 2026; reports dated 2024-2026
Function: Consulting / published research
Where it happened: Thought leadership publication
System: Evidence of ChatGPT (a cited URL retained the utm_source=chatgpt.com tracking parameter)
Technology: Generative AI
Type of failure: Fabricated content
Caught by: A researcher, A journalist

Summary

A GPTZero investigation examined four PwC Middle East thought leadership reports published 2024-2026 and found four citations that met its definition of fabricated, including an invented academic paper on air quality in Riyadh, plus many claims the cited sources did not support. One 2025 report, Transforming Governance, said the governments of Denmark, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Australia used a PwC framework called Citizen Pulse; GPTZero found no evidence of this outside the report. One citation URL carried a utm_source=chatgpt.com parameter. PwC Middle East said it was updating a limited number of supporting citations.

Consequence

PwC Middle East said it was updating a limited number of supporting citations in the reports

Who caught it A researcher, A journalistFound outside the organization

Analysis

What could have been done

Checking AI output against its sources

Every factual element of AI output (citations, figures, quotations) is checked against its source before reliance.

Four reports carried four citations meeting GPTZero's definition of fabricated, including an invented academic paper on air quality in Riyadh, plus many claims the cited sources did not support; one citation URL kept a utm_source=chatgpt.com parameter; and the 2025 report Transforming Governance said four named governments used PwC's Citizen Pulse framework, which GPTZero found no evidence of outside the report.

What would likely have prevented it

Before a publication says that named clients or governments use the firm's own framework or product, require documented evidence of that use and record who confirmed it.
Require the reviewer of each report to confirm that every cited source supports the claim it is attached to, not only that the source exists.

What would likely have caught it earlier

Screen every reference list before release for signs of AI-generated citations, such as chatbot tracking parameters in URLs and works that cannot be found in bibliographic databases, and route each hit to a person to resolve.

Key dates

July 28, 2026Event
October 16, 2026Checked against sources
October 18, 2026Checked against sources
October 21, 2026Checked against sources

Developments are added when the record is reviewed. Next review: October 16, 2027.

Evidence

Each passage is quoted from its source. The quoted passages are re-checked against the live pages every month.

This investigation analyzes four reports published between 2024 and 2026 by the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) member firm PwC Middle East .

Supports: Four PwC Middle East reports, 2024-2026; Citizen Pulse claims; four fabricated citations

the URL for citation 4 includes "utm_source=chatgpt.com", indicating it was generated by ChatGPT.

Supports: ChatGPT tracking parameter in a citation

Chasing the Hallucinations: PwC report hallucinates product and government customers GPTZero Reporting or analysis
One academic paper on air quality in Riyadh appeared to have been entirely invented by AI, with no record of the study in the cited journal or under the names of the supposed authors.

Supports: Invented academic paper; FT verification

PwC AI reports tainted by hallucination errors – report International Accounting Bulletin Reporting or analysis
PwC Middle East takes the accuracy of our published research seriously and is updating a limited number of supporting citations in the reports mentioned.

Supports: PwC response; reported July 29, 2026

PwC thought leadership reports '100 per cent AI generated' City AM Reporting or analysis

Suggested citation. Eminence Scan, “PwC Middle East — Four Thought Leadership Reports Corrected After Fabricated Citations and Invented Framework Adopters”, Eminence Growth Solutions, last verified October 16, 2026, https://eminencegrowthsolutions.com/tools/eminence-scan/record/fail-098/.

Using our research: you may read and quote Eminence Scan with credit to “Eminence Scan, Eminence Growth Solutions” and a link; all other rights reserved. Terms: Using our research.

Spotted an error, or a development we have missed? Report a correction. How we check records: research methodology.