The "Heat Index" AI Newspaper Story Highlights the Desperation in the Writing Business

The "Heat Index" AI story that surfaced in the past 48 hours is sad, disappointing and another major hit for the writing industry. What strikes me most is the desperation.

Desperation by a freelance writer to make a buck by submitting AI-generated junk filled with errors and fabrications, and not caring enough to spend two minutes checking easily verifiable information.

Desperation by respected newspapers to save a buck by publishing AI mush and not bothering to assign even an intern to skim it for inaccuracies.

And having been caught in the crossfire, desperation by legitimate staff writers and editors to distance themselves from the mess as their reputations and livelihoods are already coming loose in a struggling industry.

Last week the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer published a syndicated feature section called "Heat Index" with a variety of summertime activities and leisure recommendations. What surfaced in the past few days thanks to reporting from 404 Media is that the section, contributed by a freelance writer, was compiled by AI. It included recommendations for non-existent books and quotes from people who were misrepresented (and never quoted), according to 404 Media and The Atlantic. This fabricated information went from creation to publication without any interjection along the way.

We know accountability is on the wane, but where is the editorial pride?

I was a college senior working the sports copy desk at the student-run newspaper, the Daily Orange, and even as barely paid writers and editors trying to make it in news one day, we all had pride in turning out authoritative, accurate reporting. I picked up factual mistakes on a nightly basis. Maybe a score was mistyped. Maybe a rebound or rushing yards total was wrong. In one case, our top writer, one who went on to a fabulous sportswriting career, confused a past season with another in a huge feature story, and I had to call him sometime past midnight to let him know he had to rework his entire piece.

From these experiences I came away a better editor and they left as better writers. The AI experience so far is sapping the industry of that type of pride and talent.

An entry-level editorial assistant would have found those "Heat Index" mistakes in 30 seconds. Instead, a desperate newspaper prints an apology while creative pride and basic accountability in the writing world continues to crumble.

Read more about this story at 404 Media, The Atlantic and the Washington Post.