"Then the story got even worse. In followup reporting over the weekend, Semafor reported that WaPo leadership had launched the controversial feature despite knowing it was severely flawed. Internal tests found that the AI was generating podcasts riddled with errors and bias, with anywhere between 68 and 84 percent of the scripts deemed unpublishable by evaluators across three rounds of testing. Despite the horrendous results, the company's product review team pushed for the half-baked feature's release, arguing it would "iterate through the remaining issues.""
"It's a perfect example of the troubled relationship between generative AI tech and journalism, from news writers publishing fake, AI-generated articles to Google discouraging users from visiting trustworthy news outlets by offering up error-laden AI summaries instead. Not only does the intersection lead to a proliferation of mis- and disinformation, but experts have warned that it could further erode trust in once-reputable publications, including WaPo."
Washington Post launched "Your Personal Podcast," an AI-driven feature that produced podcasts containing invented and misattributed quotes, factual misinterpretations, and evident bias. Internal testing judged 68–84 percent of generated scripts unpublishable across three evaluation rounds. The product review team advocated release despite these failures, asserting remaining issues would be iterated. Staffers expressed outrage over fabricated content. Experts warn that such AI deployments propagate mis- and disinformation and risk eroding public trust in reputable outlets. The publication described the feature as "currently in Beta" and tied wider decisions to customer success amid cost pressures.
Read at Futurism
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]