News sites considering using AI to generate stories may want to heed the following warning: CNET quietly began publishing error-riddled, plagiarized AI-produced content in 2022, and Wikipedia has downgraded its reliability rating due to its ill-advised experiments.
Last year, a report in Futurism caused an uproar by revealing that CNET had used generative AI in some finance-related articles. The articles began appearing in November 2022 and were titled "CNETMoneyStaff." It may sound like it was created by a human, but the content is generated by artificial intelligence, as evidenced by the large number of errors and sometimes verbatim copying of other authors' work.
After its actions made headlines, CNET's leadership insisted that it introduced AI-generated articles "quietly" rather than "secretly." Use of the technology is "temporarily" suspended. Other sites owned by CNET owner RedVentures have also suspended AI coverage.
The repercussions of CNET's decision to use artificial intelligence articles are still affecting Wikipedia to this day, including on Wikipedia's "Reliable Sources/Perennial Sources" page, where the publication's previous "moderately reliable" rating has been downgraded to "moderately unreliable."
Three entries on the wiki site show that CNET ranked highest before October 2020. According to the wiki, this is because editorial standards dropped after RedVentures was acquired.
From November 2022 to the present, CNET has been classified as "largely unreliable" due to AI-generated articles. While the entry confirms they have ceased, it claims advertiser-driven editorial content remains a concern - a reference to an investigation conducted by The Verge in February 2023.
In January 2023, Wikipedia editors began discussing what to do about CNET. "CNET is generally considered a mediocre tech [reliable source], but it has begun experimentally running AI-generated articles that are riddled with errors," David Gerard, a CNET editor, wrote at the time. "So far, this experiment is not going well because it's not supposed to be […] Any of these articles that make it into Wikipedia articles need to be removed."
Other editors suggested that all RedVentures-owned sites, including ZDNet, should have their reliability ratings downgraded. However, ZDNet still has the highest "generally reliable" rating on its Wikipedia page.
In a statement to Futurism regarding Wikipedia's demotion, a CNET spokesperson said: "CNET is the world's largest provider of unbiased, technology-focused news and advice. For nearly 30 years, we've earned people's trust with rigorous editorial and product review standards. To be clear, CNET T is not actively using AI to create new content. While we have no specific plans for a restart, any future initiatives will be in compliance with our public AI policy. Additionally, previous reports of pressure to write in favor of advertisers are false and unfairly impact our employees’ jobs and reputations.” We stand by the work we do, the quality of our content and the editorial integrity of our staff. CNET is an independent entity within RedVentures and is led by an independent leadership team. "