Sign up to save tools and stay up to date with the latest in AI
bg
bg
1

AI-generated content and other unfavorable practices have put longtime staple CNET on Wikipedia's blacklisted sources

Mar 03, 2024 - tomshardware.com
CNET, a tech news site, has been demoted from Trusted to Untrusted Sources on Wikipedia due to its use of AI-generated content. The site's reputation began to decline after its acquisition by Red Ventures in 2020, which led to a drop in editorial standards and an increase in advertiser-favored content. The situation worsened in November 2023 when Red Ventures began posting AI-generated content, leading Wikipedia editors to push for CNET's demotion from the list of reliable sources. The AI-generated articles were criticized for being poorly written and inaccurate.

In a related incident, an "SEO heist" was discovered where a competitor's site was run through AI to generate a competing website with 1800 articles, aimed at stealing traffic. The site targeted was Exceljet, run by Excel expert David Bruns, who found that most of the AI-generated content was inaccurate. This rise in generative AI is seen as detrimental to the quality of internet content, with concerns about the theft of original work and the accuracy of the AI-generated content.

Key takeaways:

  • CNET has been demoted from Trusted to Untrusted Sources on Wikipedia due to controversies surrounding its use of AI-generated content.
  • The demotion followed the acquisition of CNET by Red Ventures, which led to a perceived drop in editorial standards and an increase in advertiser-favored content.
  • AI-generated content is criticized for being poorly written and inaccurate, leading to concerns about the quality and reliability of information on the internet.
  • Generative AIs are also under scrutiny for essentially stealing other people's work to function, as highlighted by lawsuits like The New York Times v. OpenAI and Microsoft.
View Full Article

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment!