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Plenty of people have started harnessing artificial intelligence to lighten their workload. That includes one writer who compiled a summer reading list for the Chicago Sun-Times that managed to make it into print despite being filled with nonexistent books.
Artificial intelligence is certainly not a new concept, but it’s been thrust into the spotlight over the past couple of years thanks to platforms like ChatGPT that have given us a glimpse at a future where supercomputers can swiftly answer questions and tackle tasks in a fraction of the time it would take the typical human to get the same results.
It’s hard not to be impressed by what A.I. has shown it’s capable of doing, but anyone who’s spent enough time toying around with the technology probably knows it can still leave a lot to be desired when it comes to addressing seemingly straightforward queries and correctly supplying users with basic and objective facts.
As someone who writes on the internet for a living, I’ve been personally (and selfishly) relieved by the shortcomings that have shown A.I. still has a long way to go if it wants to come for my job.
I did experiment with using ChatGPT a few times as a virtual research assistant when it was first positioned as The Next Big Thing, but I gave up after it routinely spat out blatantly incorrect information that actually made me do more work than I would have needed to if I’d simply looked stuff up myself.
According to 404 Media, a writer for the Chicago Sun-Times failed to do their due diligence after the paper tasked them with compiling a “Summer reading list for 2025” that recently appeared in the newspaper’s 64-page “Heat Index” feature positioned as a “Best Of Summer Guide.”
That list featured 15 books from authors including Ray Bradbury, Ian McEwan, and André Aciman. Those writers were three of the five names listed next to the published works they penned, but as novelist Racheal King pointed out, there were ten other authors who were credited with writing books that don’t exist (including one ironically attributed to Andy Weir called The Last Algorithm that’s purportedly about “a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness”).
The article’s byline listed Marco Buscaglia, who positions himself as “a Chicago-based writer, content strategist and teacher” who is listed as a “contributing writer” for the Tribune Content Agency, a syndication outlet that services the Sun-Times and other major newspapers.
He owned up to the mistake while speaking with 404, saying :
“I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious.
No excuses. On me 100 percent and I’m completely embarrassed. It’s a complete mistake on my part.”
We may eventually live in a world where A.I. can correctly do the job he was paid to do, but it seems like there’s still plenty of work to be done before we reach that point.
Content shared from brobible.com.