These Sports Illustrated writers never existed. Their faces are AI-generated.
Nov 28, 2023
By Shannon Longworth (Investigative Reporter/Anchor), Ian Kennedy (Video Editor), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below.
Learn more about this dataLeft 18%
Center 68%
Right 14%
Bias Distribution
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Left
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Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on CNN
Sports Illustrated magazine denies using AI-generated authors for website content
Click to see story on ABC Australia
Sports Illustrated’s Parent Says Articles by Allegedly Fake Writers With AI-Generated Photos Came From Third-Party Provider
Click to see story on Variety
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake names
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Sports Illustrated reportedly published articles by fake AI-generated writers
Click to see story on Business Insider
Sports Illustrated Writers ‘Horrified’ By AI Accusations, Demand Answers
Click to see story on TMZ
Sports Illustrated reportedly published articles from fake AI authors
Click to see story on The Verge
Sports Illustrated Reportedly Created Fake Authors for AI-Generated Articles — Complete With Phony Headshots and Bios
Click to see story on Mediaite
Sports Illustrated Allegedly Dupes Readers With Fake AI-Created Writers
Click to see story on Gizmodo
Click to close
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on CTV News
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KRDO
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KIFI
Sports Illustrated responds to accusations it published AI-generated content
Click to see story on The Hill
Sports Illustrated Union responds to report parent company used AI authors
Click to see story on Newsweek
Sports Illustrated Writers “Horrified” By Report That AI-Generated Articles Are Being Published Under SI Banner
Click to see story on Deadline
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WCVB
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WLWT
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WMUR
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WLKY
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WESH
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on Koco News5
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WDSU
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WTAE
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WYFF
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KCCI
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KMBC
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WBAL-TV
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WISN
Sports Illustrated published articles by fake AI-generated writers: report
Click to see story on Penn Live
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WPTZ
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WMTW
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WVTM
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WAPT
Sports Illustrated denies accusations of using AI-generated articles, fake authors
Click to see story on KTLA 5
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KOAT
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WPBF
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WGAL
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WXII
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KSBW
Sports Illustrated Reportedly Used Artificial Intelligence To Write Stories And Lied About It
Click to see story on barstoolsports.com
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KHBS
Sports Illustrated accused of using AI-generated articles and authors
Click to see story on Scripps News
Reports that Sports Illustrated used AI-generated stories and fake authors are disturbing, but not surprising
Click to see story on Poynter
Click to close
Sports Illustrated scrubs AI-generated content after being called out for using deep fakes
Click to see story on New York Post
Sports Illustrated denies report it publishes AI-generated articles
Click to see story on Alabama Live
Sports Illustrated Published AI-Generated Articles Under Fake Names
Click to see story on Hot Air
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Legendary Magazine Allegedly Caught Using Fake AI Authors To Generate Literal Fake News Stories
Click to see story on The Daily Caller
Sports Illustrated publisher denies posting AI-generated stories after author photos are found for sale on AI sites
Click to see story on The Blaze
Sports Illustrated parent company denies publishing AI-generated articles, blames third party
Click to see story on Fox News
Report: Sports Illustrated Caught Using Articles from Fake AI-Generated ‘Writers’
Click to see story on Breitbart
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Far
Right
+0
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Untracked Bias
Angeblich von KI-Generatoren verfasst: Sports Illustrated löscht Artikel
Click to see story on Heise
Sports Illustrated published articles by fake writers with AI-generated photos: Report
Click to see story on Glamsham
Sports Illustrated Published Articles By Fake Writers, AI Photos
Click to see story on India West
Editors’ photos on Sports Illustrated sites are sometimes generated by AI
Click to see story on tweakers.net
Erwischt: Sports Illustrated lässt Texte von KI schreiben, erfindet Autoren
Click to see story on futurezone.at
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55 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
55
Leaning Left
9
Center
34
Leaning Right
7
Last Updated
6 months ago
Sports Illustrated has removed articles after Futurism reported that the outlet published them under fake author names with AI-generated headshots. The revelation has sparked concerns about the growing use of AI in journalism.
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On Monday, Nov. 27, Futurism reported that the headshots of these nonexistent writers were available for purchase on a website that sells AI-generated content. According to the report, a source involved in the creation of the authors confirmed that some of the articles attributed to the authors were also AI-generated.
The Arena Group has been Sports Illustrated’s publisher since 2019. The company addressed the allegations in a statement to media outlets.
“Today, an article was published alleging that Sports Illustrated published AI-generated articles,” the statement said. “According to our initial investigation, this is not accurate. The articles in question were product reviews and were licensed content from an external, third-party company, AdVon Commerce.”
The Arena Group statement also mentioned that AdVon Commerce writers use pen or pseudo-names for some articles.
Sports Illustrated is not the first outlet accused of experimenting with AI and not disclosing it. In October, USA Today’s product reviews site, Reviewed, faced accusations of publishing AI-generated articles.
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Despite AI detection programs reportedly indicating otherwise, Gannett said that the articles were written by freelancers, according to The New York Times. USA Today currently has ethical guidelines that mandate disclosure when AI is employed in their content creation process.
[SHANNON LONGWORTH]
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED HAS DELETED SOME OF ITS WRITERS AND THEIR WORK FROM THE SITE.
BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE NEVER ACTUALLY EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEIR LIVES, DETAILED IN BIOS, WERE ALSO FAKE.
FUTURISM IS REPORTING THE HEADSHOTS ARE AI-GENERATED. IN FACT, THEY WERE FOR SALE ON A WEBSITE THAT SELLS SUCH CONTENT. ACCORDING TO FUTURISM, A SOURCE WHO WORKED ON THESE MADE-UP AUTHORS SAID SOME OF THE ARTICLES WERE AI-GENERATED, AS WELL.
JOURNALISTS CALLED IT OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S PUBLISHER SINCE 2019, THE ARENA GROUP, RELEASED A STATEMENT TO OUTLETS…SAYING THAT THE CLAIMS SI PUBLISHED AI-GENERATED ARTICLES WERE INACCURATE PER THE COMPANY’S INITIAL INVESTIGATION. AND THAT THE ARTICLES IN QUESTION WERE FROM A THIRD-PARTY COMPANY, CALLED ADVON COMMERCE. AND THAT ADVON WRITERS USE PEN OR PSEUDO NAMES FOR SOME ARTICLES.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS CERTAINLY NOT THE FIRST OUTLET ACCUSED OF EXPERIMENTING WITH AI AND NOT DISCLOSING IT.
IN OCTOBER, USA TODAY PUBLISHER GANNETT MADE HEADLINES WHEN ITS PRODUCT REVIEWS SITE, REVIEWED, REMOVED ARTICLES AMID CLAIMS THAT THEY WERE AI-GENERATED. DESPITE AI DETECTION PROGRAMS INDICATING OTHERWISE, REVIEWED INITIALLY CLAIMED THAT THE ARTICLES WERE WRITTEN BY FREELANCERS, ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES.
AS OF TODAY, USA TODAY DOES HAVE ETHICAL GUIDELINES THAT REQUIRE DISCLOSURE WHEN AI IS USED.
Related
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below.
Learn more about this dataLeft 18%
Center 68%
Right 14%
Bias Distribution
Far
Left
+0
Click to close
Left
+0
Click to close
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on CNN
Sports Illustrated magazine denies using AI-generated authors for website content
Click to see story on ABC Australia
Sports Illustrated’s Parent Says Articles by Allegedly Fake Writers With AI-Generated Photos Came From Third-Party Provider
Click to see story on Variety
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake names
Click to see story on The Mercury news
Sports Illustrated reportedly published articles by fake AI-generated writers
Click to see story on Business Insider
Sports Illustrated Writers ‘Horrified’ By AI Accusations, Demand Answers
Click to see story on TMZ
Sports Illustrated reportedly published articles from fake AI authors
Click to see story on The Verge
Sports Illustrated Reportedly Created Fake Authors for AI-Generated Articles — Complete With Phony Headshots and Bios
Click to see story on Mediaite
Sports Illustrated Allegedly Dupes Readers With Fake AI-Created Writers
Click to see story on Gizmodo
Click to close
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on CTV News
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KRDO
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KIFI
Sports Illustrated responds to accusations it published AI-generated content
Click to see story on The Hill
Sports Illustrated Union responds to report parent company used AI authors
Click to see story on Newsweek
Sports Illustrated Writers “Horrified” By Report That AI-Generated Articles Are Being Published Under SI Banner
Click to see story on Deadline
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WCVB
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WLWT
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WMUR
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WLKY
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WESH
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on Koco News5
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WDSU
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WTAE
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WYFF
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KCCI
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KMBC
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WBAL-TV
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WISN
Sports Illustrated published articles by fake AI-generated writers: report
Click to see story on Penn Live
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WPTZ
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WMTW
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WVTM
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WAPT
Sports Illustrated denies accusations of using AI-generated articles, fake authors
Click to see story on KTLA 5
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KOAT
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WPBF
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WGAL
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on WXII
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KSBW
Sports Illustrated Reportedly Used Artificial Intelligence To Write Stories And Lied About It
Click to see story on barstoolsports.com
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Click to see story on KHBS
Sports Illustrated accused of using AI-generated articles and authors
Click to see story on Scripps News
Reports that Sports Illustrated used AI-generated stories and fake authors are disturbing, but not surprising
Click to see story on Poynter
Click to close
Sports Illustrated scrubs AI-generated content after being called out for using deep fakes
Click to see story on New York Post
Sports Illustrated denies report it publishes AI-generated articles
Click to see story on Alabama Live
Sports Illustrated Published AI-Generated Articles Under Fake Names
Click to see story on Hot Air
Click to close
Legendary Magazine Allegedly Caught Using Fake AI Authors To Generate Literal Fake News Stories
Click to see story on The Daily Caller
Sports Illustrated publisher denies posting AI-generated stories after author photos are found for sale on AI sites
Click to see story on The Blaze
Sports Illustrated parent company denies publishing AI-generated articles, blames third party
Click to see story on Fox News
Report: Sports Illustrated Caught Using Articles from Fake AI-Generated ‘Writers’
Click to see story on Breitbart
Click to close
Far
Right
+0
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Angeblich von KI-Generatoren verfasst: Sports Illustrated löscht Artikel
Click to see story on Heise
Sports Illustrated published articles by fake writers with AI-generated photos: Report
Click to see story on Glamsham
Sports Illustrated Published Articles By Fake Writers, AI Photos
Click to see story on India West
Editors’ photos on Sports Illustrated sites are sometimes generated by AI
Click to see story on tweakers.net
Erwischt: Sports Illustrated lässt Texte von KI schreiben, erfindet Autoren
Click to see story on futurezone.at
Click to close
55 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
55
Leaning Left
9
Center
34
Leaning Right
7
Last Updated
6 months ago
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