Media News

CNET pauses using AI to write stories

January 20, 2023

Posted by Chris Roush

Tech news site CNET will pause publication of stories generated using artificial intelligence “for now,” the site’s leadership told employees on a staff call Friday, reports Maria Sato of The Verge.

Sato reports, “The call, which lasted under an hour, was held a week after CNET came under fire for its use of AI tools on stories and one day after The Verge reported that AI tools had been in use for months, with little transparency to readers or staff. CNET hadn’t formally announced the use of AI until readers noticed a small disclosure.

“‘We didn’t do it in secret,’ CNET editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo told the group. ‘We did it quietly.’

CNET, owned by private equity firm Red Ventures, is among several websites that have been publishing articles written using AI. Other sites like Bankrate and CreditCards.com would also pause AI stories, executives on the call said.

“Futurism noted that CNET and Bankrate appeared to have stopped running AI stories as early as Wednesday.”

Read more here.

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