{"id":197,"date":"2025-05-21T01:45:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T21:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.actutech.app\/chicago-sun-times-publishes-made-up-books-and-fake-experts-in-ai-debacle\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T01:45:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T21:45:17","slug":"chicago-sun-times-publishes-made-up-books-and-fake-experts-in-ai-debacle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.actutech.app\/en\/chicago-sun-times-publishes-made-up-books-and-fake-experts-in-ai-debacle\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Sun-Times publishes made-up books and fake experts in AI debacle"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The May 18th issue of the Chicago Sun-Times<\/em> features dozens of pages of recommended summer activities: new trends, outdoor activities, and books to read. But some of the recommendations point to fake, AI-generated books, and other articles quote and cite people that don\u2019t appear to exist.<\/p>\n

Alongside actual books like Call Me By Your Name<\/em> by Andr\u00e9 Aciman, a summer reading list features fake titles by real authors. Min Jin Lee is a real, lauded novelist \u2014 but \u201cNightshade Market,\u201d \u201ca riveting tale set in Seoul\u2019s underground economy,\u201d isn\u2019t one of her works. Rebecca Makkai, a Chicago local, is credited for a fake book called \u201cBoiling Point\u201d that the article claims is about a climate scientist whose teenage daughter turns on her.<\/p>\n

In a post on Bluesky, the Sun-Times <\/em>said it was \u201clooking into how this made it into print,\u201d noting that it wasn\u2019t editorial content and wasn\u2019t created or approved by the newsroom. Victor Lim, senior director of audience development, added in an email to The Verge<\/em> that \u201cit is unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate,\u201d saying more information will be provided soon. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear if the content is sponsored \u2014 the cover page for the section bears the Sun-Times <\/em>logo and simply calls it \u201cYour guide to the best of summer.\u201d In a statement<\/a> published to the newspaper\u2019s website, the Sun-Times <\/em>said the section was \u201clicensed from a national content partner,\u201d which 404 Media <\/em>identified<\/a> as media conglomerate Hearst. The Sun-Times <\/em>said it was removing the section from digital editions and updating its policies so that third-party content meets the paper\u2019s standards and is more clearly identified.<\/p>\n

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We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak. It is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom. We value your trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago Sun-Times (@chicago.suntimes.com)<\/a> 2025-05-20T14:19:10.366Z<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The book list appears without a byline, but a writer named Marco Buscaglia is credited for other pieces in the summer guide. Buscaglia\u2019s byline appears on a story about hammock culture in the US that quotes several experts and publications, some of whom do not appear to be real. It references a 2023 Outside <\/em>magazine article by Brianna Madia, a real author and blogger, that I was unable to find. The piece also cites an \u201coutdoor industry market analysis\u201d by Eagles Nest Outfitters that I was unable to find online. Also quoted is \u201cDr. Jennifer Campos, professor of leisure studies at the University of Colorado,\u201d who does not appear to exist. Buscaglia did not immediately respond to a request for comment but admitted to 404 Media<\/em><\/a> <\/em>that he uses AI \u201cfor background at times\u201d and always checks the material.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time, I did not and I can\u2019t believe I missed it because it\u2019s so obvious. No excuses,\u201d he told 404<\/em>. \u201cOn me 100 percent and I\u2019m completely embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another uncredited article titled \u201cSummer food trends\u201d features similar seemingly nonexistent experts, including a \u201cDr. Catherine Furst, food anthropologist at Cornell University.\u201d Padma Lakshmi is also attributed in the piece for a quote she doesn\u2019t appear to have said.<\/p>\n

News outlets have repeatedly run AI-generated content next to their actual journalism, often blaming the issue on third-party content creators. High-profile incidents of AI-generated content at Gannett<\/em><\/a> and Sports Illustrated<\/em><\/a> <\/em>raised questions about the editorial process, and in both cases, a third-party marketing firm<\/a> was behind the AI sludge. Newsrooms\u2019 defense is typically that they had nothing to do with the content \u2014 but the appearance of AI-generated work alongside real reporting and writing by human staffers damages trust all the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Update May 20th:<\/strong> Added additional details about the <\/em>Sun-Times\u2019 response to public outcry.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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