AI-generated reading list in Chicago Sun-Times recommends non-existent books

The summer reading list in a special part of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer seemed harmless enough.

There were books by beloved authors such as Isabel Allende and Min Jin Lee; Bestsellers novels, including Delia Owens, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Brit Bennett; And a novel by Percival Everett, a recent winner of Pulitzer Prize.

There was only one problem: none of the book titles attributed to the above authors were real. They were made by generative artificial intelligence.

It is the last case of Bad Ai who finds its way in the news. Although generative AI has improved, there is still no way to ensure that the systems produce accurate information. Ai -chatbots Cannot make a distinction between what is true and what is falseAnd they often come up with things. The chatbots can track information and the names of experts with an atmosphere of authority.

Most book descriptions were fairly credible. It did not seem to be out of reach that Mrs. Bennett would explore ‘family ties that were tested by natural disasters’, or that Mrs Allende would still give a ‘multigenerational saga’.

The technology publication 404 Media previously reported on the reading list. In addition to non -existent book titles, the section contained quotes from non -identifiable experts.

Both the Sun-Times and the Inquirer have issued statements in which the use of AI is convicted and partly blamed King functions, a Hearst syndicate that Licenses Content Nationally. The syndicate produced the 56-page supplement for the newspaper called “Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer”, which also included things such as summer food trends and activities recommendations.

Although the list had no name rule, a freelancer named Marco Buscaglia took the responsibility. He confirmed that the list was partially generated by artificial intelligence, probably Claude.

“It was just a really bad mistake on my part and I feel bad that it has influenced the Sun-Times and King functions, and that they take the shrapnel for it,” said Mr. Buscaglia in an interview.

It is quite common for media organizations, in particular through resources -tied local newsrooms, to rely on syndicates to supplement cover.

Only two months ago, 20 percent of the Sun-Times staff resigned as part of a buyout offer. On the homepage of the newspaper on Wednesday there were two banners on top of the website. A linked to the Statement about the special part of May 18and the other linked to a piece about how Federal cuts threaten local journalism.

Felix M. Simon, a researcher in AI and Digital News at the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford, said that the technology had not completely failed. There are responsible and irresponsible ways to use AI for news collection, he said.

“We need better education for everyone, from the freelancer level to the executive level,” said Dr. Simon and called people to “to the structures that ultimately allowed that this actually false article appeared in a renowned news exit.”

The special section was removed from the researcher’s website when he was discovered, according to Lisa Hughes, the publisher and Chief Executive of the newspaper. The section was also removed from the e-paper version of the Sun-Times, according to a statement, and subscribers would not be charged for the premium edition.

King -functions did not respond to requests for comments, but in one Explains the Sun-Times said it “had a strict policy with our employees, cartoonists, columnists and freelance writers against the use of AI to make content.”

In their statement, the Sun-Times said that the incident should be a ‘learning moment’.

“Our work is appreciated – and valuable – because of humanity behind it,” said the statement.