An investigation is underway after reports surfaced that Sports Illustrated published AI-generated articles attributed to non-existent authors, sparking concerns about the impact of generative AI on journalism.
Sports Illustrated has removed web articles following a report by tech publisher Futurism, which claimed the pieces were generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and attributed to non-existent authors. The issue came to light when the author photos were discovered on an AI-generated image website. The Sports Illustrated Union expressed strong disapproval and called for adherence to journalistic standards.
Sports Illustrated’s parent company, Arena Group, who had licensed the content from Advon Commerce, has initiated an internal investigation and halted its partnership with Advon. Advon Commerce, known for working with retailers and publishers, did not provide an immediate comment. Arena Group maintained that Advon Commerce assured them all articles were human-written and edited but allowed pseudonyms for author privacy, using AI-generated images for these pseudonyms.
This controversy surfaces amid wider industry concerns about the rise of generative AI potentially replacing journalists and spreading misinformation. The incident has led to significant backlash from Sports Illustrated staff and raised questions about the integrity of using AI in journalism.
