Then have another set of agents, with skills like web browsing (to verify that links actually exist, maybe that references and abstracts actually match, etc), have one engineer (or agent) write a small script to help with this (just make sure you test it, and a bit).
So your work is not verified until your references table is 90% green checkmarks, maybe with uncertainty figures.
A human can then verify the ones with under 90% certainty.
This alone gets you a long way there. Does not costs the millions they're being paid.
It's quite interesting that these companies marketed themselves as them best of the best in excellence, accept no mistakes. I can imagine the countless keynotes and books about this. Or the sales pitches.
Has always been a lie, they just understood how to hide it. Today they don't, and it's embarrassing.
How about the author actually reads the finished report a couple of times and checks all the references?
It really is the lowest bar - even lower maybe than running a spell check.
But then you wouldn't be embracing the new agentic ways of working!
I kinda get it, without experience and trying, how are they to know ( unless they are already 'into it')? After all, corporate training is laughable at best.