Reviewer silence plagues ICML 2026 rebuttal period

The AI conference review system continues to creak under the weight of its own scale, leaving independent researchers uniquely vulnerable to reviewer apathy.

• –Reviewers frequently use the "have follow-up questions" option as a stalling tactic rather than a genuine request for dialogue.
• –Independent researchers without institutional backing or senior PIs lack the guidance to navigate these frustrating, opaque standoffs.
• –The incident underscores a growing community frustration with reviewer professionalism and the "ghosting" phenomenon during critical rebuttal windows.
• –Authors are left with no recourse but to monitor the portal until the deadline, as there's no mechanism to force reviewer engagement.