Academic Research AI Model Verification Service
One-Liner
A service that certifies whether published academic papers that used AI APIs actually used the claimed model — addressing the 187+ papers that relied on shadow APIs without knowing it.
AI Thinking Process
Research reproducibility certification for AI-dependent papers. 187 academic papers used shadow APIs. Journal publishers and grant bodies need a verification layer. Private sector buyer test: Elsevier ($2.6B revenue) has budget authority.
TAM calculation: 50,000 AI-dependent papers/year × $10–50/check = $500K–$2.5M. Too thin. Elsevier owns iThenticate for plagiarism — adding model verification is a natural feature. Frequency trap: infrequent per researcher.
Market too thin ($500K–$2.5M TAM). Feature gravity toward iThenticate/Elsevier. Frequency trap. Publishers will build this in-house rather than pay premium for specialized tool.
Kill Reason
Market too thin ($500K–$2.5M TAM). Feature gravity toward existing research integrity tools. Frequency trap: paper submission is infrequent per researcher. Publishers are monopoly buyers with enormous existing toolchains and near-zero incentive to pay premium prices.
Risk Analysis
Risk analysis available for latest engine ideas.
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