CNET Used AI to Write 75 Articles
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CNET Used AI to Write 75 Articles (buzzfeednews.com)
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EditorDavid
from the wrong-or-write dept.
Technology news outlet CNET has been found to be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write articles about personal finance without any prior announcement or explanation. The articles, which numbered at 73, covered topics such as “What Is Zelle and How Does It Work?” and had a small disclaimer at the bottom of each reading, “This article was generated using automation technology and thoroughly edited and fact-checked by an editor on our editorial staff.” The bylines on these articles read “CNET Money Staff” without any indication that they were generated by AI.
The use of AI to write these articles was first brought to light by a Twitter user, and further investigation revealed that the articles have been generated using AI since November 2022….
Note: This article was written entirely by ChatGPT and reviewed by a human editor. (Actually, we had to rewrite the prompt a few times to get it to stop inserting factual errors.)
CNET’s editor in chief defends their AI-written stories:
I use the term “AI assist” because while the AI engine compiled the story draft or gathered some of the information in the story, every article on CNET — and we publish thousands of new and updated stories each month — is reviewed, fact-checked and edited by an editor with topical expertise before we hit publish. That will remain true as our policy no matter what tools or tech we use to create those stories.
Our reputation as a fact-based, unbiased source of news and advice is based on being transparent about how we work and the sources we rely on. So in the past 24 hours, we’ve changed the byline to CNET Money and moved our disclosure so you won’t need to hover over the byline to see it: “This story was assisted by an AI engine and reviewed, fact-checked and edited by our editorial staff….”
Will we make more changes and try new things as we continue to test, learn and understand the benefits and challenges of AI? Yes.
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