Chicago paper admits publishing fake AI-generated books in summer reading list

The Chicago Sun-Times admitted on Tuesday that it published an AI-generated list of books that don’t exist for its summer reading list.

On Sunday, the publication released a special 64-page section titled “Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer” which featured a list of 15 recommended books for summer. However, upon further look, it was found that 10 of the 15 books on the list were not real.

One example included a book called “Nightshade Market” by Min Jin Lee, which was described as a “riveting tale set in Seoul’s underground economy” and follows “three women whose paths intersect in an illegal night market” exploring “class, gender and the shadow economies beneath prosperous societies.”

Lee herself confirmed on her X account on Tuesday that the book was not real.

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“I have not written and will not be writing a novel called ‘Nightshade Market.’ Thank you,” Lee wrote.

Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell remarked on the situation in an article on Tuesday, revealing that the mistake came from a freelance writer from one of their partner companies, King Features. Bell acknowledged that the list was published without review from the editorial team.

“We are in a moment of great transformation in journalism and technology, and at the same time, our industry continues to be besieged by business challenges,” Bell wrote. “This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it.”

Moving forward, Bell announced that the paper will be reviewing its relationship with content partners like King Features, updating its policies for third-party content and explicitly identifying third-party content in its publications. The Chicago Sun-Times also removed the section from its e-paper version and confirmed that it would not charge subscribers who bought the premium edition.

“We are committed to making sure this never happens again. We know that there is work to be done to provide more answers and transparency around the production and publication of this section, and will share additional updates in the coming days,” Bell said.

In another report for the Chicago Sun-Times, the freelance writer was identified as Marco Buscaglia, who confirmed that he used AI for this and other stories without disclosing it to supervisors or fully vetting the results.

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King Features later added that it was “terminating” its relationship with Buscaglia, saying that he had violated strict policy regarding the use of AI. 

In an additional statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Chicago Public Media marketing director Victor Lim said, “Regarding Chicago Public Media’s usage of generative AI, we are committed to producing journalism that is accurate, ethical, and deeply human. While GAI may assist with certain tasks—like summarizing documents or analyzing data—our editorial content will always be created and shaped by journalists.”