TLDR: Kennesaw State University assistant professors Lauren Matheny and Kevin Gittner are leading a pioneering effort to combat AI-generated fraud and protect the integrity of online data. Their Data Quality and Survey Methods Lab is developing a sophisticated fraud detection system to identify low-quality, bot-generated, and AI-generated responses, addressing a critical issue in the rapidly expanding online survey market, projected to reach over $32 billion by 2030.
KENNESAW, Ga. – In a proactive move to safeguard the integrity of digital information, Kennesaw State University assistant professors Lauren Matheny and Kevin Gittner are at the forefront of developing advanced solutions to detect and prevent AI-generated fraud. Their groundbreaking research, conducted within the Data Quality and Survey Methods Lab, aims to protect the reliability of data across various sectors, from academic research to public health and business strategy.
The impetus for this critical research emerged from a startling discovery by Matheny, who teaches in KSU’s School of Data Science and Analytics. While analyzing survey results, she observed anomalies that led to a deeper investigation. “The results looked too good to be true,” Matheny recounted. “After digging deeper, we realized that nearly 40 percent of the responses were fraudulent.” This alarming finding spurred Matheny to collaborate with Gittner, leading to the establishment of the Data Quality and Survey Methods Lab in 2022. Housed within the School of Data Science and Analytics, the lab is dedicated to tackling the escalating problem of online survey fraud, particularly responses generated by sophisticated bots and large language models.
The online survey market is experiencing exponential growth, with projections from Global Market Insights indicating it will exceed $32 billion by 2030. However, this expansion is accompanied by a significant challenge: the increasing prevalence of fraudulent responses that compromise data integrity. The system being developed by Matheny and Gittner is designed to identify low-quality, bot-generated, and AI-generated answers, ensuring that decision-makers can rely on accurate and trustworthy information.
Matheny’s dedication to this field was recognized with KSU’s 2025 College of Computing and Software Engineering Innovation Quest award for the project she co-leads with Gittner. She emphasized the importance of early support for their work, stating, “That initial funding was pivotal. It allowed us to go after the problem where it’s most severe.”
CCSE Interim Dean Yiming Ji lauded the researchers’ efforts, highlighting the broader implications of their work. “Dr. Matheny’s and Dr. Gittner’s research embodies the innovation and impact we strive for at the College of Computing and Software Engineering,” Ji remarked. “By tackling the complex challenge of AI-generated fraud in digital data, they are not only advancing the field of data science but also protecting the integrity of information that decision-makers across sectors rely on. Their work is a testament to the power of research with real-world relevance.”
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This initiative by Kennesaw State University underscores a growing national conversation around AI education and the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence technologies, ensuring that advancements in AI are met with robust measures to maintain data integrity and ethical use.
