In a recent controversy, renowned American magazine Sports Illustrated has come under fire for allegedly publishing articles written by artificial intelligence (AI) with accompanying fake author personas and AI-generated headshots. The Sports Illustrated Union expressed shock and demanded transparency, prompting the magazine to conduct an initial investigation.
The allegations surfaced when science and technology website Futurism reported that Sports Illustrated had been utilizing content created by AI-generated authors without explicitly disclosing the automated nature of the writing. The articles in question, including a peculiar review of "full-size volleyballs," featured short, generic sentences reminiscent of an alien's perspective, raising suspicions about their authenticity.
Upon being contacted by Futurism, Sports Illustrated promptly removed the biographies and added a disclaimer to the articles, clarifying that the content was created by a third party with no involvement from the magazine's editorial staff. The removed articles included one attributed to writer Drew Ortiz, whose AI-generated headshot was available for purchase on a website specializing in such images. Notably, Ortiz's profile was later replaced by another writer, Sora Tanaka, whose headshot was also found on the same website, with neither having any prior publishing history or social media presence.
Futurism interviewed two unnamed sources involved in creating the content, revealing that there were potentially numerous other fake authors with fabricated profiles. The unsettling revelation prompted outrage among Sports Illustrated writers, as expressed by the Sports Illustrated Union, demanding answers and transparency from the magazine's owner, The Arena Group.
In response, The Arena Group released a statement attributing the articles to a third-party company, AdVon Commerce, which had assured them that all content was written and edited by humans. Despite this assurance, The Arena Group terminated its partnership with AdVon after discovering the use of fake names to protect author privacy. The spokesperson emphasized that AdVon Commerce utilized counter-plagiarism and counter-AI software on all content but condemned the practice of using pseudonyms. The content has been removed, and an internal investigation is ongoing.
This incident is not the first involving media companies using unattributed AI-generated content. Earlier this year, tech media outlet CNET faced a rebellion from staff over the use of generative AI for explainers, and Microsoft had to remove an AI-generated travel article recommending a food bank as a top dining spot. The broader issue of AI's misuse extends to the creation of deepfake news broadcasters for social media, as highlighted in a report by US-based research firm Graphika.
The Sports Illustrated scandal raises concerns about the potential infiltration of AI-generated content in reputable media outlets, highlighting the need for increased vigilance and ethical guidelines to maintain journalistic standards.
