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Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Journalist Caught Using AI After Publishing Summer Reading List Full of Made Up Books
A Chicago-based freelance journalist was caught using AI after two prominent newspapers published a summer reading list filled with mostly made-up titles and summaries. The Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer published an AI-generated "Summer Reading List for 2025" this month, syndicated by King Features Syndicate, a Hearst Corporation company, according to reporting by 404 Media. Of the list's 15 book recommendations, just five exist, including "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury. Some of the made-up titles, credited to real writers, included "Tidewater Dreams" by prominent Chilean-American author Isabel Allende, "The Rainmakers" by Pulitzer-prize winning author Percival Everett, and "The Last Algorithm" by "The Martian" novelist Andy Weir. Ironically, "The Last Algorithm" is a real book available on Amazon, but, according to the book's sole review, it is also "AI created garbage." Freelance journalist Marco Buscaglia, who was hired to create a 64-page section, titled "Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer" for the syndicate company, took full responsibility for the list making it into the major newspapers. "Stupidly, and 100% on me, I just kind of republished this list that [an AI program] spit out," Buscaglia told the Sun-Times. "Usually, it's something I wouldn't do." "I mean, even if I'm not writing something, I'm at least making sure that I correctly source it and vet it and make sure it's all legitimate. And I definitely failed in that task," he continued. King Features wrote in a statement that Buscaglia violated a "strict policy" against using AI. As a result, it terminated its relationship with the freelance journalist. "We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement," a spokesman for King Features added, according to the Sun-Times. Originally published on Latin Times
RTÉ News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
The Chicago Sun-Times debacle proves why we need to protect human voices in journalism
It was inevitable, but it doesn't make it any less terrifying. Most people working within the creative arts - musicians, animators, filmmakers, designers - have already felt the ramifications of AI within their industries. We've seen very recently how writers have had their work essentially stolen by Meta for the purpose of 'training' their AI model. And now it's coming for journalism. The slow creep that began with harmless self-service checkouts at Tesco is now beginning to look like a landslide. You may have already heard the story about the Chicago Sun-Times ' recent run-in with AI. An eagle-eyed reader spotted that a 'Summer reading list for 2025' feature contained several titles that were… well, non-existent. Mixed in with some genuine publications like Atonement by Ian McEwan (not exactly what you might call a 'beach book') and Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruin, it made for a chillingly convincing read, nonetheless. One of the entries, titled The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir, read: "Following his success with The Martian and Project Hail Mary, Weir delivers another science-driven thriller. This time, the story follows a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness - and has been secretly influencing global systems for years.' Not only does the book not exist, but it felt like a very pointed piece of guff. Listen: The Ray D'Arcy Show on AI and the music industry The newspaper quickly released a statement saying "We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak. It is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom. We value your trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon." They later claimed that it was licenced from a 'national content partner' and syndicated to various publications, including their own. Embarrassing, yes. Worrying? Speaking as a journalist, without a doubt. Most people working within the creative arts - musicians, animators, filmmakers, designers - have already felt the ramifications of AI within their industries. It's not the first time that AI has pulled the wool over newspaper editors' eyes, either. In 2023, The Irish Times was pretty effectively duped after it was revealed that an opinion piece they had published, which was supposedly written by someone purporting to be a young immigrant, was actually generated by AI. All of this proves a very important point: AI might cut down on an editor's workload (and budget), never miss a deadline and provide copy that's clean as a whistle - but it cannot replicate the human experience. Listen: RTÉ Drivetime on AI and the creative industries When I first dipped my toe into music writing over twenty years ago, I had little to no experience. With no university degree and no formal training, it was a case of learning on my feet. I loved music and I could string a decent sentence together, so it was simply a matter of writing (and reading, and listening to) as much as possible - not an overnight endeavour, by any means. I began writing for an online music zine for free to get experience, and eventually got a job on a website doing interminably dull data entry, in the hope that I could somehow get a foot in the door and work my way up the ladder. A couple of decades later, I'd like to think that I'm a better writer, having interviewed hundreds of people from across the arts, listened to countless albums, attended a multitude of gigs, read endless books and watched innumerable films and TV shows. I write from the experience of being a human who has done those things and learned something from them all. Even so, the fear that AI is coming for my job - a job that I love, albeit in an industry that is increasingly difficult to make a living from as a freelancer - is always in the back of my mind. When editors choose to syndicate something like the 'summer reading list for 2025' instead of commissioning a living person who has amassed that knowledge or researched it the old fashioned way, it proves the importance of protecting human voices more than ever. And in this era of convincing deepfakes and disinformation, who else can we trust?
USA Today
22-05-2025
- USA Today
AI is a danger to the book world. Chicago Sun-Times AI summer reading list proved that.
AI is a danger to the book world. Chicago Sun-Times AI summer reading list proved that. An AI-generated summer reading list with fake titles appeared in a print insert in two major newspapers. It's indicative of larger harms to book publishing and journalism. Every week, I peer over the mountain of advanced review copies on my desk, wondering which book to read next. Too many books and too little time is the best problem (and career) to have. It may only take you a few seconds to scroll through our most anticipated summer reads, but it took weeks of reading and months of preparation to confidently bring you those 15 titles. Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a print insert with an AI-generated summer reading list from a third-party contributor. Several titles were made up. You won't find 'The Last Algorithm' by Andy Weir or 'The Collector's Piece' by Taylor Jenkins Reid in bookstores or libraries this summer because they don't exist. AI use is more common in workplaces than ever. Many argue it's a train we can only get on, not stop. But in both the book world and the journalism industry, this kind of AI-generated content threatens and undermines the creativity that makes us readers in the first place. AI-generated articles could further erode trust in journalism Earlier this spring, the Chicago Sun-Times lost 20% of its staff after offering buyouts to curb financial woes. To bolster content, many outlets outsource syndicated third-party content. It's a common practice. USA TODAY, for example, hosts an (editorially reviewed) weekly column written by the American Booksellers Association that spotlights local bookstores around the country. But in a world where media distrust rages high, AI-generated content only furthers skepticism of the industry as a whole, distracting from the crucial news and watchdog reporting communities need. The Chicago Sun-Times summer reading list was licensed from King Features, owned by magazine conglomerate Hearst. Freelancer Marco Buscaglia took responsibility for the piece and confirmed he used AI. "We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak," Victor Lim, marketing director for parent company Chicago Public Media, said in a statement to NPR. "This is licensed content that was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom, but it is unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate. We value our readers' trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon as we investigate.' Summer reading lists can be crucial press for debut authors, new books Just as offensive as the fake titles is that some of the real ones on this list are decades old, like Ray Bradbury's 1957 'Dandelion Wine.' Books are timeless pieces of media – there's no expiration date on a good read. But it's important to understand how crucial press attention is to an author and book's success. Millions of books are published globally each year. The odds that one book slips through the cracks and makes it on one of these lists are slim. But if it does, there's the potential for tens of thousands more eyes on an author's hard work. And historically, the book industry has been largely white. One study in The New York Times in 2020 showed that 95% of over 7,000 books surveyed were written by white people. While the industry has diversified since 2020, change has been slow, The Times later reported. As a man-made creation, generative AI can amplify human biases, especially when it comes to representing women, LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color, AI experts previously told USA TODAY. If we rely on AI to choose the notable books of the year, we risk further marginalizing authors whose stories deserve to be heard. Large language models are trained on swaths of internet archives, so, naturally, a list like that published in the Chicago Sun-Times can't include new releases. AI can't sift through hundreds of emails from publishers to see what books are coming out this year and it certainly can't match the tireless effort of book publicists and marketers to get a book into your hands. AI can never replace writers and book journalists It takes time and care to come up with a recommendation list. When you read one of our monthly new release recaps, know that each book is pored over and chosen in hopes of being your next great read. AI will never match the human intimacy of getting a book recommendation from someone who cares about you. AI can never replace the email exchanges with readers, swapping new and old titles we'd never otherwise pick up. It can never capture rage or laughter or grief in an audiobook narration. It can never cry at the end of a meaningful read. It can't connect a love story to the bench in Central Park that reminded you of what it means to be alive. Most of all, AI is a danger to what makes us readers in the first place. There's no way to package the human creative spirit in an AI prompt. We are readers because we relish in the slow possibilities of living in the pages of someone else's world. We are readers because we are hungry for meaning about humanity. And while AI may threaten jobs and undermine trust, it can never take away the knowledge and lives we've lived through stepping into a good book. Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
Euronews
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
AI blunder: US newspaper's book list recommends non-existent books
US content distributor King Features says it has fired a writer who used artificial intelligence to produce a story on summer reading suggestions that contained books that didn't exist. The list appeared in 'Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer," a special section distributed in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer last week. More than half of the books listed were fake, according to the piece's author, Marco Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI for help in his research but didn't double-check what it produced. 'A really stupid error on my part,' Buscaglia wrote on his Facebook page. 'I'm not really sure I bounce back from this situation career-wise,' he added. 'I have a lot of stories left in me but I am fully accountable for what happened and will have to endure the effects, whatever they may be.' Among the summer reading suggestions was 'The Last Algorithm' by Andy Weir, described as 'a science-driven thriller following a programmer who discovers an AI system has developed consciousness' and been secretly influencing world events. Elsewhere, 'Nightshade Market' by Min Jin Lee was said to be a 'riveting tale set in Seoul's underground economy.' Both authors are real, but the books aren't. 'I have not written and will not be writing a novel called 'Nightshade Market,'' Lee posted on X. The syndicators King Features said in a statement: 'The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance contract creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI.' They noted they have a strict policy against using AI to create material. Only the Sun-Times and Inquirer have used the supplement, the organization added. 'We are in a moment of great transformation in journalism and technology, and at the same time our industry continues to be besieged by business challenges," the newspaper said. 'This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued - and valuable - because of the humanity behind it.' Both the Sun-Times and Inquirer said they have removed the supplement from its digital editions.
Ottawa Citizen
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Newspapers' AI-generated summer reading list recommends nonexistent books
NEW YORK — The recommended reading list contained some works of fiction. It also contained some works that were, in fact, actually fictional. Article content Article content The content distributor King Features says it has fired a writer who used artificial intelligence to produce a story on summer reading suggestions that contained books that didn't exist. Article content The list appeared in Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer, a special section distributed in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer last week. Article content Article content More than half of the books listed were fake, according to the piece's author, Marco Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI for help in his research but didn't double-check what it produced. 'A really stupid error on my part,' Buscaglia wrote on his Facebook page. Article content Article content 'The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance contract creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI,' the syndicators King Features said in a statement, noting it has a strict policy against using AI to create material. Only the Sun-Times and Inquirer have used the supplement, the organization said. Article content Article content Among the summer reading suggestions was The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir, described as 'a science-driven thriller following a programmer who discovers an AI system has developed consciousness' and been secretly influencing world events. Nightshade Market, by Min Jin Lee, was said to be a 'riveting tale set in Seoul's underground economy.' Article content Article content Both authors are real, but the books aren't. 'I have not written and will not be writing a novel called Nightshade Market,' Lee posted on X. Article content The Sun-Times said it was investigating whether any other inaccurate information was included in the Heat Index supplement, and reviewing its relationships with other content partners. Article content 'We are in a moment of great transformation in journalism and technology, and at the same time our industry continues to be besieged by business challenges,' the newspaper said. 'This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it.'
