Incident 616: Sports Illustrated Is Alleged to Have Used AI to Invent Fake Authors and Their Articles

Responded
Description: Sports Illustrated, managed by The Arena Group, allegedly used AI-generated authors and content, compromising journalistic integrity. Profiles of these fictitious authors, complete with AI-generated headshots, appeared alongside articles, misleading readers. The issue was exposed when inconsistencies in author identities and writing quality were noticed, leading to the removal of this content from the publication's website.

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Alleged: unknown developed an AI system deployed by The Arena Group and Sports Illustrated, which harmed General public , Readers of Sports Illustrated and Journalistic integrity.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
616
Report Count
43
Incident Date
2023-11-27
Editors
Daniel Atherton
Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers
futurism.com · 2023

There was nothing in Drew Ortiz's author biography at Sports Illustrated to suggest that he was anything other than human.

"Drew has spent much of his life outdoors, and is excited to guide you through his never-ending list of the best prod…

Sports Illustrated responds to accusations it published AI-generated content
thehill.com · 2023
Sarah Fortinsky post-incident response

Sports Illustrated responded to a report alleging it published AI-generated content, denying the claims but acknowledging that some articles were published under fabricated names.

A spokesperson for The Arena Group, the magazine's publisher…

Sports Illustrated owner denies using AI and fake writers to produce articles
cbsnews.com · 2023
Elizabeth Napolitano post-incident response

The corporate owner of Sports Illustrated is denying a report that the famed publication produced articles written by artificial intelligence under fake author bylines, while noting that it has withdrawn the stories pending an investigation…

Sports Illustrated is the latest media company damaged by an AI experiment gone wrong
apnews.com · 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Computer-generated writers ... writing computer-generated stories?

Sports Illustrated is the latest media company to see its reputation damaged by being less than forthcoming — if not outright dishonest — about who or what i…

Sports Illustrated’s use of AI infuriates a staff already in turmoil
washingtonpost.com · 2023

A day after news broke that Sports Illustrated has been publishing AI-generated articles passed off as the work of writers who did not exist, the staff of the storied sports magazine gathered for a virtual all-hands meeting. Staffers were f…

Sports Illustrated deletes articles by fake AI writers after exposé
boingboing.net · 2023

Sports Illustrated used to publish essays by Kurt Vonnegut and Frank Deford. Now it publishes uncannily bland drivel by AI-generated personas, a fact revealed by Futurism in an exposé. Moreover, its response to the article implies that it h…

'Sports Illustrated' is accused of posting articles by writers created by AI
npr.org · 2023

A new report exposes stories by writers who don't seem to exist, with bio photos that are stock images, at the revered sports magazine.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

This next story is about what happened when AI met SI. Sports Illustrated and i…

Reports that Sports Illustrated used AI-generated stories and fake authors are disturbing, but not surprising
poynter.org · 2023

In a story that has generated both shock and disdain, Futurism’s Maggie Harrison reports that Sports Illustrated published stories that were produced or partially produced by artificial intelligence, and that some stories had bylines of fak…

Sports Illustrated reportedly published articles by fake AI-generated writers
businessinsider.com · 2023

Sports Illustrated has become the latest publication to get called out for using artificial intelligence to generate content.

The magazine said it will take down several articles after a report found they were written by fake, AI-generated …

Sports Illustrated Reportedly Used AI to Create Stories
frontofficesports.com · 2023

Sports Illustrated may have used artificial intelligence to create articles — and even entire “authors” on its website.

According to a new report from Futurism, SI routinely uses AI to generate articles, attributes the writing of those arti…

Sports Illustrated Accused Of Publishing AI-Generated Stories
huffpost.com · 2023

A new report from Futurism says that Sports Illustrated published articles written by artificial intelligence and posted using AI-generated bylines and photos — then deleted the articles after the outlet asked about it.

According to the rep…

Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
cnn.com · 2023

Sports Illustrated on Monday said it had deleted several articles from its website after a report found the once-celebrated legacy magazine had published the pieces under fake author names and profile images generated by artificial intellig…

Sports Illustrated accused of publishing AI-written articles
bbc.com · 2023

Sports Illustrated deleted web articles after a report claimed they were generated by artificial intelligence and published under fake author names.

Tech publisher Futurism reported the issue after finding author headshots on an AI-generate…

Sports Illustrated Fabricated: Some Thoughts on the SI/AI Fiasco
uni-watch.com · 2023

When the AI scandal at Sports Illustrated broke a few days ago, I initially wrote something about it but then decided not to publish it because (a) it’s not uni-related and (b) saying anything critical about SI at this point kinda feels li…

Column: The depressing fall of Sports Illustrated reveals the real tragedy of AI
latimes.com · 2023

Quick, name five classic American magazines.

Did you say Sports Illustrated? I did. And I’m not even a sports guy. But if you’re of a certain age, you know Sports Illustrated. Along with, say, People, Time and National Geographic, it has lo…

‘The Amount of Useless Stuff You Guys Do Is Staggering.’ Inside a Shakeup at Sports Illustrated’s Publisher
frontofficesports.com · 2023
Michael McCarthy, A.J. Perez post-incident response

One week after Sports Illustrated suffered an embarrassing artificial intelligence scandal, the latest leader of the company that operates SI laid down the law for his new employees.

Manoj Bhargava, the 5-Hour Energy drink owner whose firm …

Top Execs at Sports Illustrated's Publisher Fired After AI Debacle
futurism.com · 2023
Maggie Harrison post-incident response

Sports Illustrated publisher The Arena Group has fired two senior executives, COO Andrew Kraft and President Rob Barrett, following its recent AI fiasco.

The dismissals were confirmed by a representative for Arena Group majority owner Manoj…

Sports Illustrated Owner The Arena Group Cans 2 Execs After AI Debacle
thewrap.com · 2023
Eileen AJ Connelly post-incident response

Sports Illustrated’s owner fired two top executives in the wake of the scandal that saw the iconic organization post AI-generated content credited to fake authors.

Front Office Sports reported that Andrew Kraft, COO of SI’s parent company T…

Why Sports Illustrated's 'Drew Ortiz' is less about bad writing and more about a bad omen
cbc.ca · 2023

After the beat writers had hustled back to the press box to meet their unforgiving deadlines, I lingered in the Phillies' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park on a warm June evening in 2011, waiting for the one-on-one interview I wanted.

It's a …

Sports Illustrated publisher fires CEO after AI debacle
cnn.com · 2023
Liam Reilly post-incident response

Digital publisher The Arena Group, which operates household brands such as Sports Illustrated and The Street, fired its chief executive on Monday amid a larger C-suite bloodbath, a spokesperson for the company told CNN.

A spokesperson for T…

Sports Illustrated and other newsrooms fumble badly by huddling with AI
chicago.suntimes.com · 2023

There used to be a time when newspaper journalists had to scroll through countless microfiche reels and dig through clips to find old articles for background material for their stories.

Electronic archives, along with the internet, have mad…

Sports Illustrated Publisher Fires CEO Ross Levinsohn
thewrap.com · 2023
Benjamin Lindsay, Sharon Knolle post-incident response

The publisher of Sport Illustrated and The Street, Arena Group, fired CEO Ross Levinsohn after ongoing fallout over its use of artificial intelligence on the site.

“Today, the board of directors of The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE Ameri…

Publisher Of Sports Illustrated Ousts CEO Ross Levinsohn
deadline.com · 2023
Ted Johnson post-incident response

CEO of The Arena Group and Sports Illustrated Ross Levinsohn at the 2023 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year Award last week. Photo by Tom Cooper/Getty Images for Prime Video

The CEO of the parent company of Sports Illustrated was o…

Sports Illustrated publisher fires CEO Ross Levinsohn after AI scandal
bbc.com · 2023
Madeline Halpert post-incident response

The CEO of The Arena Group, publisher of Sports Illustrated, has been fired just weeks after the magazine was accused of publishing articles generated by artificial intelligence.

Ross Levinsohn was terminated "to improve the operational eff…

Sports Illustrated publisher fires CEO in latest round of exec terminations following AI scandal
nbcnews.com · 2023
Marlene Lenthang post-incident response

The publisher of Sports Illustrated, The Arena Group, announced Monday that its CEO Ross Levinsohn has been terminated in the latest round of firings at the company in the wake of an AI scandal. 

Levinsohn will be replaced in the interim by…

Arena Group fires CEO in wake of Sports Illustrated AI articles scandal
theguardian.com · 2023
Josh Taylor post-incident response

The Arena Group, publisher of Sports Illustrated, has fired the magazine’s CEO not long after it was revealed Sports Illustrated had published articles written by fake authors with AI-generated headshots and biographies.

The Arena Group’s b…

Sports Illustrated publisher Arena Group fires CEO following AI controversy
cbsnews.com · 2023
Elizabeth Napolitano post-incident response

The publisher of Sports Illustrated has ousted its chief executive officer following public backlash over the sport's magazine's alleged use of AI to write stories. 

The Arena Group's termination of CEO Ross Levinsohn came as the media gian…

Sports Illustrated boss ousted after AI row
thetimes.co.uk · 2023
Helen Cahill post-incident response

The publisher of Sports Illustrated has fired its chief executive shortly after an investigative report claimed the American magazine had published stories by fake authors with headshots generated by artificial intelligence.

The Arena Group…

More Sports Illustrated AI Fallout, as CEO Is Sacked
uni-watch.com · 2023
Paul Lukas post-incident response

The shock waves from Sports Illustrated’s unethical use of AI-generated content, which last week led to some top-level executives at the media outlet’s parent company being canned, have apparently claimed an even bigger victim.

That news c…

Sports Illustrated CEO fired after claims of fake authors and AI-generated articles
telegraph.co.uk · 2023
Tony Diver post-incident response

The chief executive of Sports Illustrated magazine has been sacked after claims it ran articles by fake authors generated using artificial intelligence.

The Arena Group, the magazine's publisher, said it had fired Ross Levinsohn in an attem…

Arena Group CEO fired following Sports Illustrated AI articles controversy
thehill.com · 2023
Dominick Mastrangelo post-incident response

Arena Group, the publisher of Sports Illustrated, has fired the sports media outlet's CEO on the heels of a controversy stemming from its reported use of artificial intelligence (AI) to produce content on its website.

The Arena Group, which…

Sports Illustrated publisher fires CEO after outlet caught posting AI-generated stories with fake authors
nypost.com · 2023
Shannon Thaler post-incident response

Sports Illustrated publisher The Arena Group fired its CEO — just weeks after the publication triggered a firestorm for using artificial intelligence to produce poorly-written product reviews written by fake authors.

Ross Levinsohn, who ser…

Sports Illustrated publisher fires its CEO, fourth executive to leave amid fallout from AI-generated articles
fortune.com · 2023
Chris Morris post-incident response

Ross Levinsohn, the CEO of the publisher of Sports Illustrated, is out of a job, weeks after the venerable brand came under fire after accusations it had been publishing articles written by AI.

Arena Group Holdings, which includes the magaz…

Sports Illustrated Fires CEO Amid AI-Generated Content Accusations
retailwire.com · 2023
Lucille Barilla post-incident response

Sports Illustrated has fired its CEO, Ross Levinsohn, after being accused of producing AI-generated content. This firing came on the heels of Futurism reporting that the publication used the content as part of its website. Levinsohn has bee…

CEO Fired Weeks After Sports Illustrated AI Scandal
newser.com · 2023
Rob Quinn post-incident response

Ross Levinsohn has been fired as CEO of Sports Illustrated and publishers The Arena Group, weeks after Futurism reported that SI had been running stories generated by artificial intelligence, using bogus names and AI-generated byline pictur…

Sports Illustrated Publisher Fires CEO After AI Scandal
futurism.com · 2023
Maggie Harrison post-incident response

Late last month, we reported that venerable magazine Sports Illustrated had been publishing commerce articles bylined by nonexistent writers with AI-generated profile pictures.

The revelation sparked a storm of media coverage and outrage fr…

People Are Absolutely Roasting Sports Illustrated's Ridiculous Excuse for Its AI-Generated Writers
futurism.com · 2023

Yesterday, we reported that Sports Illustrated had been publishing articles by fake writers with AI-generated profile pictures.

Worse, one source alleged, at least some of the posts themselves were AI-generated as well.

"The content is abso…

Sports Illustrated Publisher Fires CEO Ross Levinsohn After AI Scandal
themessenger.com · 2023
William Gavin post-incident response

The Arena Group, the publisher of Sports Illustrated and Men's Journal, has fired its chief executive and two other top executives after it was called out for publishing articles written using artificial intelligence bylined by fake authors…

CEO and others fired in corporate "bloodbath" after Sports Illustrated publishes drivelous AI-generated content
boingboing.net · 2023
Rob Beschizza post-incident response

Last month, Sports Illustrated removed various articles after the authors were exposed as AI-generated personas and whose text was seemingly AI-generated itself—it was hard to be certain, because the material turned out to be sourced to a c…

Sports Illustrated FIRES its publisher after publication used AI
dailymail.co.uk · 2023
Stephen M. Lepore post-incident response

The owners of Sports Illustrated have fired CEO Ross Levinsohn after the outlet was accused of publishing AI-generated writing while using headshots of fake authors and creating bogus profiles. 

The Arena Group Holdings, which owns the 79-y…

Publisher Of Sports Illustrated Fires CEO After Fake Authors Scandal
dailycaller.com · 2023
Robert McGreevy post-incident response

The owner of the venerated sports magazine “Sports Illustrated” fired its CEO following a scandal which revealed the magazine had allegedly been publishing articles written by artificially generated writers, according to a press release fro…

Sports Illustrated CEO Fired After AI-Generated Stories Scandal
blackenterprise.com · 2023
Jeroslyn JoVonn post-incident response

The chief executive officer of Sports Illustrated has been ousted after the site was caught publishing AI-generated stories.

On Monday, Dec. 11 The Arena Group, which operates Sports Illustrated and The Street, fired its chief executive Ros…

Sports Illustrated Publisher Fires CEO After Outlet Allegedly Published AI-Generated Stories With Fake Authors
dailywire.com · 2023
Ryan Saavedra post-incident response

Digital publisher The Arena Group, which owns and operates Sports Illustrated and other major publications, announced this week that it had fired Sports Illustrated CEO Ross Levinsohn effective immediately.

“Today, the board of directors of…

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