Computer-generated writers 91裸聊视频� writing computer-generated stories?
Sports Illustrated is the latest media company to see its reputation damaged by being less than forthcoming 91裸聊视频� if not outright dishonest 91裸聊视频� about who or what is writing its stories at the dawn of the artificial intelligence age.
The once-powerful publication said it was firing a company that produced articles for its website written under the byline of authors who apparently don91裸聊视频檛 exist. But it denied a published report that stories themselves were written by an artificial intelligence tool.
Earlier this year, experiments with AI went awry at both the Gannett newspaper chain and the CNET technology website. Many companies are testing the new technology at a time when human workers fear it could cost jobs. But the process is fraught in journalism, which builds and markets its values-based products around the notions of truth and transparency.
While there91裸聊视频檚 nothing wrong in media companies experimenting with artificial intelligence, 91裸聊视频渢he mistake is in trying to hide it, and in doing it poorly,91裸聊视频� said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor who teaches journalism ethics.
91裸聊视频淚f you want to be in the truth-telling business, which journalists claim they do, you shouldn91裸聊视频檛 tell lies,91裸聊视频� Rosenstiel said. 91裸聊视频淎 secret is a form of lying.91裸聊视频�
CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF WHAT HAPPENED
Sports Illustrated, now run as a website and once-monthly publication by the Arena Group, at one time was a weekly in the Time Inc. stable of magazines known for its sterling writing. 91裸聊视频淚ts ambitions were grand,91裸聊视频� said Jeff Jarvis, author of 91裸聊视频淢agazine,91裸聊视频� a book he describes as an elegy for the industry.
On Monday, the Futurism website that Sports Illustrated used stories for product reviews that had authors it could not identify. Futurism found a picture of one author listed, Drew Ortiz, on a website that sells AI-generated portraits.
The magazine91裸聊视频檚 author profile said that 91裸聊视频淒rew has spent much of his life outdoors, and is excited to guide you through his never-ending list of the best products to keep you from falling to the perils of nature.91裸聊视频�
Upon questioning Sports Illustrated, Futurism said all of the authors with AI-generated portraits disappeared from the magazine91裸聊视频檚 website. No explanation was offered.
Futurism quoted an unnamed person at the magazine who said artificial intelligence was used in the creation of some content as well 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频渘o matter how much they say that it91裸聊视频檚 not.91裸聊视频�
Sports Illustrated said the articles in question were created by a third-party company, , which assured the magazine that they were written and edited by humans. AdVon had its writers use a pen name, 91裸聊视频渁ctions we don91裸聊视频檛 condone,91裸聊视频� Sports Illustrated said.
91裸聊视频淲e are removing the content while our internal investigation continues and have since ended the partnership,91裸聊视频� the magazine said. A message to AdVon wasn91裸聊视频檛 immediately returned on Tuesday.
In , the Sports Illustrated Union said it was horrified by the Futurism story.
91裸聊视频淲e demand answers and transparency from Arena group management about what exactly has been published under the SI name,91裸聊视频� the union said. 91裸聊视频淲e demand the company commit to adhering to basic journalistic standards, including not publishing computer-written stories by fake people.91裸聊视频�
NOT THE FIRST SUCH SITUATION
Gannett at some of its newspapers this summer in which AI was used to generate articles on high school sports events, after errors were discovered. The articles carried the byline 91裸聊视频淟edeAI.91裸聊视频�
Some of the unpleasant publicity that resulted might have been avoided if the newspapers had been explicit about the role of technology, and how it helped create articles that journalists might not have been available to do, Jarvis said. Gannett said a lack of staff had nothing to do with the experiment.
This past winter, it was reported that CNET had about financial service topics attributed to 91裸聊视频淐NET Money Staff.91裸聊视频� The only way for readers to learn that technology was involved in the writing was to click on that author attribution.
Only after its experiment was discovered and written about by other publications did CNET discuss it with readers. In , then-editor Connie Guglielmo said that 77 machine-generated stories were posted, and that several required corrections. The site subsequently made it more clear when AI is being used in story creation.
91裸聊视频淭he process may not always be easy or pretty, but we91裸聊视频檙e going to continue embracing it, and any new technology that we believe makes life better,91裸聊视频� Guglielmo wrote.
Other companies have been more up front about their experiments. Buzzfeed, for example, attributed a on Santa Barbara, Calif., to writer Emma Heegar and Buzzy the Robot, 91裸聊视频渙ur creative AI assistant.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檒l be developing content that is AI-native 91裸聊视频� cool new things that you couldn91裸聊视频檛 do at all without AI 91裸聊视频� and things that are enhanced by AI but created by humans,91裸聊视频� Buzzfeed said in a note to readers.
The Associated Press has been using technology to assist in articles about financial earnings reports since 2014, and more recently in some sports stories. At the end of is a note that explains technology91裸聊视频檚 role in its production, a spokeswoman said.
For instance, about an upcoming NBA matchup earlier this month had this note at the end: 91裸聊视频淭he Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.91裸聊视频�
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