The news of a prominent Irish broadcaster facing trial over alleged sexual misconduct took a bizarre turn when a false story featuring a photo of Dave Fanning, an Irish D.J. and talk-show host, circulated online. The error was the result of an artificial intelligence mishap by a fly-by-night journalism outlet called BNN Breaking.
BNN Breaking used an A.I. chatbot to paraphrase articles from other news sites, adding Mr. Fanning’s photo as a “prominent Irish broadcaster.” The story was then promoted by MSN, leading to a defamation lawsuit filed by Mr. Fanning against Microsoft and BNN Breaking.
BNN Breaking, based in Hong Kong, published numerous falsehoods due to generative A.I. errors during its short time online. The company and its founder did not respond to requests for comment. Microsoft terminated its licensing agreement with BNN.
The rise of A.I.-generated content poses a threat to traditional journalism, with over 800 websites identified by NewsGuard producing unreliable news content using A.I. The quality of these stories is often poor, with false claims and misinformation being spread.
The story of Mr. Fanning’s mistaken identity highlights the dangers of A.I.-generated news and the impact it can have on individuals’ reputations. As the online information supply is increasingly poisoned by inaccurate content, the need for trustworthy journalism becomes more critical than ever.