In a shocking revelation, the editor of a German magazine has been sacked for publishing an AI-based interview with racing legend Michael Schumacher. The piece was supposed to have been conducted by the seven-time Formula One World Champion himself, but it was later found out that an algorithm was used to generate it.
The editor-in-chief of the magazine defended his decision, stating that he found the technology "interesting and innovative." However, the magazine faced widespread backlash for its lack of transparency and ethical standards. It also brought into question the credibility of AI-generated content in journalism.
This controversy is not an isolated incident. AI has been increasingly used in journalism to create content faster, cheaper, and with a higher level of accuracy. Some news organizations, such as The Washington Post and The Associated Press, have incorporated AI into their newsrooms.
For instance, The Washington Post's Heliograf system uses natural language generation software to generate articles on topics such as high school football games and congressional races. The Associated Press uses Automated Insights' Wordsmith platform to write thousands of articles every year about corporate earnings and minor league baseball games.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/mar/19/michael-schumacher-ai-interview-leads-to-fallout-at-german-magazine
Technology/Journalism
Akash Mittal
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