A writer has lost his job after he used artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a story on summer reading suggestions that contained books that didn’t exist.
The article appeared in the US publications Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer in May.
The author, Marco Buscaglia, was working for a content company called King Features, which provides material to publications.
More than half the books included in the article were fake, according to Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI for help in his research but said he didn’t check what it had produced to see if the books were real.
On his Facebook page, he described it as a “really stupid error on my part.”
King Features said that Buscaglia did not admit to using AI for help before the article was published. The company added that it has a strict policy against using AI to create material.
Among the summer reading suggestions was The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir, described as “a science-driven thriller” about a person who discovers that an AI system has been secretly influencing world events.
The author exists but the book doesn’t.
The Chicago Sun-Times said that we’re living in a time of great change in journalism and technology and this should be a “learning moment for all journalism organizations.”
Buscaglia, who is based in Chicago, accepted responsibility for the error. He said: “I am completely at fault here.”
He described it as “a horrible mistake” and suggested his career as a writer may now be in doubt.
“I’m not really sure I bounce back from this situation,” he said. “I have a lot of stories left in me but I am fully accountable for what happened and will have to endure the effects, whatever they may be.”
The mistake was first reported by the tech publication 404 Media.
