An Irish daily has apologized to its readers after it unknownly published an article by a guest writer who used artificial intelligence (AI) to write articles.
In a statement to The Irish Times on May 14, the publication said it was the victim of a "deliberate and coordinated deception". The publication's editor, Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, acknowledged the need for stronger pre-publication controls, adding: "It also highlights one of the challenges generative AI poses for news organizations."
Published on the morning of May 11, this article is about the use of fake tans by Irish women from the perspective of a writer named Adriana Acosta-Cortez , she described herself as a "young immigrant woman in Ireland".
According to Mac Cormaic, the so-called author was involved in the editorial department and provided research and personal anecdotes. However, it was discovered that the article and the byline image were created "at least in part" by generative artificial intelligence.
The author's Twitter profile republished a link to the now-deleted work via the Internet Archive. In another tweet, they singled out The Irish Times for needing a "better screening process". While the real identity behind Acosta-Cortez remains anonymous, Twitter users commented on the post calling the scam a "solid step" and congratulating the profile for "exposing" the journal.
One user said he "can't honestly read IT anymore after this." The Irish Times is not the only publication that has come under scrutiny for its AI-related content recently.
On April 14, a German magazine called Die Aktuelle published "the first interview!" with racing driver Michael Schumacher since suffering a serious brain injury in 2013. However, it was soon discovered that the interview had been generated by AI, and the publication was immediately subject to legal action from Schumacher's family. A Wall Street Journal reporter also recently "cloned" herself using artificial intelligence, enabling it to defraud her bank and next of kin at the same time.
