High Article Processing Charges and the Expansion of Predatory Publishing in the Generative AI Era: Implications for Research Integrity and Global Scholarly Inclusion

Abstract The transition to open access publishing was intended to democratize knowledge, yet the dominance of article processing charge models has created new financial stratifications that disproportionately affect researchers in low- and middle-income countries. Concurrently, generative artificial intelligence has lowered barriers to manuscript production while amplifying editorial overload and predatory publishing vulnerabilities. This critical review examines the interconnected dynamics among article processing charge inflation, generative artificial intelligence-driven publication pressures, predatory publishing expansion, and global scholarly inequality, with alignment to Sustainable Development Goals 4, 9, 10, 16, and 17. The review is based on a purposive selection of interdisciplinary literature in scholarly communication, higher education, information science, research ethics, and science policy. Literature was selected through reference snowballing and thematic relevance to the five research objectives rather than systematic database searching. Findings indicate that global spending on article processing charges has escalated significantly, with average charges for high-impact journals exceeding several thousand United States dollars, creating conditions that increase susceptibility to predatory journals. The rise of generative artificial intelligence further complicates scholarly communication through accelerated manuscript production, paper mills, and concerns regarding epistemic reliability. Predatory publishing should be understood not merely as a problem of unethical journals but as a structural consequence of inequitable academic publishing systems intensified by artificial intelligence-era publication pressures. Policy reforms centered on diamond open access models, ethical artificial intelligence governance, research integrity education, and strengthened international collaboration are proposed.