This move by Gannett contradicts the responsible, human-intensive AI vision the company laid out in June and undermines its AI ethics policy. The company's decision to auto-publish synthetic content to its public websites has been criticized, with an expert warning against such practices in the June report. Despite the backlash, Gannett does not appear to be planning to stop using AI for content generation.
Key takeaways:
- Gannett, the publishing giant that owns USA Today and hundreds of local newspapers, had previously promised to use AI responsibly and always include human oversight in its AI processes.
- Despite these promises, it was discovered that Gannett had been publishing AI-generated high school sports articles in several of its local papers and USA Today without apparent human involvement.
- The AI-generated content, produced by a company called Lede AI, was of poor quality, with awkward and repetitive writing, lack of important details, and occasional formatting errors.
- This incident contradicts Gannett's previous commitment to responsible AI use and human involvement, as stated in its AI ethics policy, and has led to criticism and concerns about the use of AI in journalism.