Fictional fiction: A newspaper’s summer book list recommends nonexistent books. Blame AI
May 21, 2025
There’s another artificial intelligence blunder impacting news organizations. The content distributor King Features said it was firing a writer who produced a recommended summer reading list that contains non-existent books. The writer admitted to using AI to help him on the story, and took full responsibility for the mistake. His feature was carried in special sections that were included during the past week in the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer. The newspapers involved said they’re stripping the special section, titled “Heat Index,” from their digital editions and investigating to see whether it contained any other false material.
