Once-respected TUAW sparks outrage with AI-generated "news" & fake author profiles. Is this the future of online journalism?
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| TUAW's comeback marred by AI & ethical issues. It may regain trust or not. |
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), a once-respected source for Apple news, has reemerged online after a decade-long hiatus. However, its return is marred by accusations of deceptive practices. The new TUAW appears to be an "AI-generated content farm," churning out rehashed articles and misusing the names and likenesses of former writers.
Several key factors point towards TUAW's dubious operation. "New" articles bear a striking resemblance to existing content from other publications, raising concerns about originality. These articles are then attributed to writers who haven't been associated with TUAW for over a decade. Further fueling suspicion are the "author pages" featuring seemingly AI-generated photos accompanying the former writers' names.
Christina Warren, a former TUAW contributor, expressed outrage on this practice. She highlighted how her name, from a job held over 15 years ago, is being used on articles she had no involvement with. This "SEO scam," she believes, is ineffective thanks to Google's updated algorithms.
The new owners, Web Orange Limited, claim to have "meticulously re-written" content from archived versions. However, comparisons between the original TUAW archive and the "rewritten" content point towards minimal effort. Additionally, attributing these rewrites to former writers with AI-generated photos raises ethical and potentially legal concerns.
TUAW remained silent on emailed inquiries regarding their use of AI and the justification for using past writers' identities with AI-generated profile pictures. No immediate response came to ChicHue after a request for comment.
The return of TUAW, once a cherished resource, is overshadowed by these deceptive practices. Whether TUAW can regain its former reputation or remain an inauthentic content farm remains to be seen.