MIT asks arXiv to withdraw preprint of paper on AI and scientific discovery

"I don't endorse this paper. Therefore you should take it down. I won't tell you why. Trust me bro."

Whether MIT is right or wrong, the arrogance displayed is staggering. The only thing more shocking is that obviously this behavior works for them and they are used to people obeying them without question because they are MIT.

More like "Because it involves a student, FERPA won't allow us to legally disclose what's going on, but we kicked the student out so you should take the hint and realize what was going on"

It is indeed disappointing posture the institute is putting on full display here.

I'm sure this works for other institutions also, not just MIT. Maybe the evidence they have for the request requires disclosing data that violates FERPA, which they obviously aren't allowed to do.

The arrogance of MIT is staggering? I would say the arrogance of paper's author is 10x as staggering that if what Robert Palgrave has suggested is true.

I think MIT is trying to protect its reputation as a would-be place of fraud-free research, unlike Harvard.

They become aware of academic dishonesty where a student tried to publish a paper with faked data, and taking it down is disappointing posturing? What?

which becomes part of the record. Can put a banner up top. Expunging takes it out of the record, folks can't trace the history of it. Also, I didn't say 'posturing' which has a particular meanring, I said it's 'a posture'.

Retracting a paper is basically putting a big RETRACTED banner on it, yeah, which is what MIT is asking the author to do.