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A brand new investigation reveals that the preferred information app within the U.S. revealed over three dozen inaccurate, AI-lifted, or AI-bylined tales previously three years — with real-world results.
NewsBreak, the most popular information app within the U.S., advertises itself as an area information supply. It tops the Google Play retailer, with over 50 million downloads, and dominates the Apple App Retailer information charts, outperformed solely by X and Reddit.
The app solely operates within the U.S. and works as an aggregator, pooling information from completely different shops, like Fox, Reuters, and CNN, onto one platform.
A Wednesday Reuters report discovered that NewsBreak used AI at the least 40 instances since 2021 to publish inaccurate tales, submit tales from different sources beneath pretend bylines, and take content material from opponents.
For instance, two AI-based tales on NewsBreak incorrectly said that Pennsylvania-based charity Harvest912 was internet hosting a 24-hour well being clinic for the homeless.
"You might be doing HARM by publishing this misinformation - homeless individuals will stroll to those venues to attend a clinic that isn't taking place," Harvest912 wrote in a January e mail to NewsBreak.
One other e mail to NewsBreak from Colorado-based meals financial institution Meals to Energy detailed how NewsBreak incorrectly said when meals could be distributed three separate instances — in January, February, and March.
The meals financial institution needed to clarify the difficulty to individuals who confirmed up in response to the NewsBreak articles, and ship them house with out the meals they anticipated.
NewsBreak informed Reuters that it took down the 5 articles with inaccurate data.
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On the subject of AI instruments and pretend bylines, NewsBreak seems to have used 5 pretend names as bylines for AI-generated repostings of tales from different websites.
Previous NewsBreak marketing consultant and former Wall Avenue Journal govt editor Norm Pearlstine flagged the difficulty in a Might 2022 firm memo to NewsBreak CEO Jeff Zheng, writing "I can't consider a quicker technique to destroy the NewsBreak model."
Zheng responded to the memo, acknowledging the issue and asking the staff to repair it.
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NewsBreak is not the one information outlet going through scrutiny over AI content material. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that native San Francisco newspaper Hoodline was counting on AI to churn out tales — and, at one level, attributing these tales to distinctive AI personas full with their very own bios.
AI has additionally been identified to generate inaccurate content material. Information outlet CNET used AI to put in writing over 70 articles final yr and needed to subject corrections for a lot of as a result of reality errors.
In the meantime, final week, Google announced "greater than a dozen technical enhancements" after customers discovered that AI overviews in its search engine gave some inaccurate solutions.
Associated: Google's AI Overviews Are Already Getting Major Things Wrong
