Arrr! The newspaper scallywags be stoppin' their AI shenanigans as landlubbers be laughin' at their daft sport tales!
2023-09-01
Avast, me hearties! The scurvy dogs at Gannett, a publisher of newspapers, be puttin’ a stop to their fancy AI experiment. The blunderin' contraption be causin' much distress among the landlubbers, as it churned out tales filled with gibberish and mistakes. Arrr, it be a mighty laugh!
Gannett, the parent company of USA Today and several local newspapers, has temporarily halted an experiment involving artificial intelligence (AI) after receiving criticism that AI-generated sports articles were poorly written and lacking in details. The company published a few AI-generated sports stories based on box score data, which quickly faced condemnation from social media users. The Columbus Dispatch, one of the newspapers involved, received backlash for using awkward phrases and failing to generate names for sports mascots. Gannett confirmed that it has paused the AI experiment and will evaluate vendors as it refines its processes. The AI-generated articles were credited to LedeAI, a tech company that aims to provide reliable and readable local reporting. LedeAI's CEO, Jay Allred, expressed regret over the errors and stated that the company is working to address the concerns. The criticisms on social media sparked a useful conversation about the technology, according to Allred. The use of generative AI programs, like popular chatbot ChatGPT, is becoming more prevalent across various industries. While some speculate that AI could potentially replace journalists, Allred believes that content automation is part of the future for local newsrooms, providing readers with timely information and freeing up reporters to focus on impactful journalism.