Governing Artificial Intelligence in the Evolving Academic Publishing Ecosystem

As scholarly publishing navigates the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI), encompassing generative AI, natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), and autonomous agents, the editorial ecosystem must adapt to maintain its core integrity. This editorial evaluates the operational advantages of AI, such as enhanced efficiency and automated integrity checks, against systemic risks, including hallucination, bias, and confidentiality breaches. Drawing on recent empirical validations and policy frameworks from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and major publishers, we outline a comprehensive editorial policy for the Journal of Metaverse. This policy emphasizes human oversight, transparency, and domain-specific rigor. We also introduce practical implementation mechanisms, including an AI-use disclosure template, auditing protocols, and specific reporting requirements for metaverse research. Furthermore, this editorial explores the strategic use of generative AI for post-publication science communication, demonstrating how automated infographics and multimedia summaries can significantly enhance research visibility and broad accessibility. This document serves as both a functional policy framework and a contribution to the discourse on responsible AI integration in academic publishing.