Computer-generated writers 含羞草研究社� writing computer-generated stories?
Sports Illustrated is the latest media company to see its reputation damaged by being less than forthcoming 含羞草研究社� if not outright dishonest 含羞草研究社� 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 don含羞草研究社檛 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 there含羞草研究社檚 nothing wrong in media companies experimenting with artificial intelligence, 含羞草研究社渢he mistake is in trying to hide it, and in doing it poorly,含羞草研究社� said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor who teaches journalism ethics.
含羞草研究社淚f you want to be in the truth-telling business, which journalists claim they do, you shouldn含羞草研究社檛 tell lies,含羞草研究社� Rosenstiel said. 含羞草研究社淎 secret is a form of lying.含羞草研究社�
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. 含羞草研究社淚ts ambitions were grand,含羞草研究社� said Jeff Jarvis, author of 含羞草研究社淢agazine,含羞草研究社� 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 magazine含羞草研究社檚 author profile said that 含羞草研究社淒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.含羞草研究社�
Upon questioning Sports Illustrated, Futurism said all of the authors with AI-generated portraits disappeared from the magazine含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渘o matter how much they say that it含羞草研究社檚 not.含羞草研究社�
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, 含羞草研究社渁ctions we don含羞草研究社檛 condone,含羞草研究社� Sports Illustrated said.
含羞草研究社淲e are removing the content while our internal investigation continues and have since ended the partnership,含羞草研究社� the magazine said. A message to AdVon wasn含羞草研究社檛 immediately returned on Tuesday.
In , the Sports Illustrated Union said it was horrified by the Futurism story.
含羞草研究社淲e demand answers and transparency from Arena group management about what exactly has been published under the SI name,含羞草研究社� the union said. 含羞草研究社淲e demand the company commit to adhering to basic journalistic standards, including not publishing computer-written stories by fake people.含羞草研究社�
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 含羞草研究社淟edeAI.含羞草研究社�
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 含羞草研究社淐NET Money Staff.含羞草研究社� 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.
含羞草研究社淭he process may not always be easy or pretty, but we含羞草研究社檙e going to continue embracing it, and any new technology that we believe makes life better,含羞草研究社� 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, 含羞草研究社渙ur creative AI assistant.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檒l be developing content that is AI-native 含羞草研究社� cool new things that you couldn含羞草研究社檛 do at all without AI 含羞草研究社� and things that are enhanced by AI but created by humans,含羞草研究社� 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 technology含羞草研究社檚 role in its production, a spokeswoman said.
For instance, about an upcoming NBA matchup earlier this month had this note at the end: 含羞草研究社淭he Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.含羞草研究社�
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