Global consulting giant KPMG has withdrawn its recent research report, “Redefining Excellence in the Age of Agentic AI,” after multiple featured organizations challenged claims regarding their deployment of advanced artificial intelligence.
According to a report by the Financial Times, the publication contained several fabricated case studies and inaccurate descriptions of how companies were using autonomous “agentic AI” systems to execute complex operations.
The controversy has raised sharp concerns that the report’s content may have been generated through AI hallucinations and published without sufficient human oversight. The inaccuracies were initially flagged by researchers at AI-detection platform GPTZero and independently verified by the Financial Times.
Several prominent organizations swiftly demanded corrections or the total removal of the publication, forcing KPMG to take the report offline pending an internal investigation. The report claimed the bank integrated AI agents across its risk management and investment advisory operations using a custom platform built with Microsoft technology. A UBS spokesperson rejected the assertion as “factually incorrect” and requested its removal.
The operator denied claims that it was using AI agents to assist travelers with journey planning and booking based on live travel conditions.
Transport officials described the report’s characterization that TfL was utilizing AI agents to predict city congestion patterns as misleading.
Representatives from the healthcare body stated that claims regarding their use of AI agents to organize patient data, automate referrals, and predict readmissions did not align with reality.
The incident highlights growing anxieties over the unchecked use of generative AI in corporate research and publishing. It marks the second major embarrassment for the consulting sector in recent weeks; rival firm EY recently withdrew a major study after GPTZero similarly identified fabricated references and AI-generated errors.
“Before KPMG removed the report, several technology publications and even a major European newspaper had already cited its findings, allowing questionable information to spread further.” said Edward Tian, CEO, GPTZero
A KPMG spokesperson stated that the firm takes the accuracy and integrity of its content seriously and acknowledged that internal guidelines on responsible AI use may not have been followed. The firm reiterated that employees are expected to maintain strict human oversight, including validating content and independently verifying sources prior to publication.