Sports Illustrated, a well-known sports publication, recently faced controversy when it was reported that some of its online articles were generated by artificial intelligence and attributed to fictitious authors. The articles in question were provided by a third-party company, Advon Commerce, and were later removed from the Sports Illustrated website after the issue came to light. This situation has sparked concerns within the journalism industry about the potential use of AI in content creation and its implications for journalistic standards and misinformation.
The Sports Illustrated Union expressed their shock and demanded adherence to basic journalistic norms, including refraining from publishing computer-generated stories under false author names. Arena Group, the owner of Sports Illustrated, initially disputed the accuracy of these reports but has since initiated an internal investigation and terminated its relationship with Advon Commerce.
Advon Commerce, which specializes in e-commerce and partnerships with retailers and publishers, has not yet commented on the matter. Arena Group explained that Advon had assured them the content was human-written and edited. They also stated that pseudonyms were used to protect the privacy of authors, which is why AI-generated images and unverifiable author names were employed.
This incident has raised broader concerns about the growing use of generative AI in media and its potential to replace journalists and propagate misinformation. While some newsrooms have experimented with AI, issues such as inaccuracies and lack of transparency about AI usage have arisen.
Sports Illustrated staff, who have experienced significant staff reductions in recent years, expressed dismay over this development, highlighting its negative impact on the publication’s credibility. Mitch Goldich, an editor and union leader at Sports Illustrated, emphasized the harm done to the credibility of the publication’s hardworking staff.
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