Sports Illustrated AI-generated authors have been busted by Futurism and they have discovered that The Arena Group, the publisher of Sports Illustrated and TheStreet, has been using AI-generated content to create articles and author personas.
The company has been using AI headshots to create fake authors and has been using AI-generated content to write articles on a variety of topics, including personal finance, health, and sports. These fake authors have been given fake names and biographies, and their articles are often poorly written and riddled with errors. Sports Illustrated AI-generated authors have been promoting products and services for a long time.
Futurism also found that The Arena Group has been using AI-generated content to write articles on a variety of topics. The company has been using this content to churn out monetizable content without the need for human writers. However, this content is often of poor quality and is not disclosed to readers.
Sports Illustrated AI-generated authors are just one of many
The Arena Group’s use of AI-generated content and fake authors raises a number of ethical concerns. The company is deceiving its readers by not disclosing that its content is AI-generated. The company is also using fake authors to promote products and services, which could mislead consumers. Additionally, the company’s use of AI-generated content could lead to a decline in the quality of journalism.
The Arena Group initially denied that it was using AI-generated content. However, the company later admitted that it had been using AI-generated content from a third-party company called AdVon, by stating:
”Today, an article was published alleging that Sports Illustrated published AI-generated articles. According to our initial investigation, this is not accurate. The articles in question were product reviews and were licensed content from an external, third-party company, AdVon Commerce. A number of AdVon’s e-commerce articles ran on certain Arena websites. We continually monitor our partners and were in the midst of a review when these allegations were raised. AdVon has assured us that all of the articles in question were written and edited by humans. According to AdVon, their writers, editors, and researchers create and curate content and follow a policy that involves using both counter-plagiarism and counter-AI software on all content. However, we have learned that AdVon had writers use a pen or pseudo name in certain articles to protect author privacy — actions we don’t condone — and we are removing the content while our internal investigation continues and have since ended the partnership”.
The company has since ended its partnership with AdVon and has deleted the AI-generated content from its websites but the damage was already done as even their writer, Michael Rosenberg, has spoken about his frustration on Twitter/X.
Our staff works so hard to carry on Sports Illustrated's tradition of great journalism. It's so disappointing when people* in our own company undermine our work. https://t.co/Ukk7aOjkNg
— Michael Rosenberg (@Rosenberg_Mike) November 27, 2023
Of course, we can expect writers to use NLP and AI tools to correct editorial mistakes, but it is a serious problem for a reputable sports news publication like Sports Illustrated to create new writers with a “build-your-human” mentality and publish their writings on its website without informing its readers about it.
The use of AI-generated content is becoming increasingly common in the media industry. However, there are a number of ethical concerns that need to be addressed before this technology can be used responsibly. Media companies need to be transparent about their use of AI-generated content and need to ensure that this content is of high quality. Additionally, media companies need to be careful not to use AI-generated content to promote products or services without disclosing this to readers.
Meet Sports Illustrated AI-generated authors
If you’re dying to meet the Sports Illustrated AI-generated authors, here you go:
- Drew Ortiz
- Sora Tanaka
- Domino Abrams
- Denise McNamara
- Nicole Merrifield
Let’s get to know Sports Illustrated AI-generated authors from their words.
Drew Ortiz
”Drew likes to say that he grew up in the wild, which is partially true. He grew up in a farmhouse, surrounded by woods, fields, and a creek. Drew 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. Nowadays, there is rarely a weekend goes by where Drew isn’t out camping, hiking, or just back on his parents’ farm.”
Sora Tanaka
“Sora has always been a fitness guru, and loves to try different foods and drinks,” read Tanaka’s bio. “Ms. Tanaka is thrilled to bring her fitness and nutritional expertise to the Product Reviews Team, and promises to bring you nothing but the best of the best.”
Domino Abrams
”As a stay-at-home dad, Domino is a pro at home cleaning and maintenance. He’s constantly researching new ways and products to make his home–and, in turn, your home–as clean as can be.”
Denise McNamara
”As a computer and information analyst, Denise constantly finds herself trying the latest and greatest tech products. Her extensive personal experience with electronics allows her to share her findings with others online.”
Nicole Merrifield
”Nicole is a first grade teacher who entered the field of education for one simple reason: she loves helping people. True satisfaction for Nicole comes when her students demonstrate improvements due to her teaching, and she hopes her input will help educators around the world enhance their classrooms.”
If any media organization finds a way to engage with generative AI in a way that is not unethical, we are all ears. In the meantime, we should not hold our breath.
Featured image credit: upklyak/Freepik.
