WGA East “Demands Immediate End” To AI-Generated Articles On G/O Media Sites

deadline.com:

With artificial intelligence at the heart of negotiations between the Writers Guild and Hollywood studios — and also SAG-AFTRA’s contract talks — the WGA East today is demanding “an immediate end of AI-generated articles on G/O Media sites.” The union reps about 100 staffers at the media company whose sites include The Onion, A.V.

Club, Deadspin, Gizmodo and several others. “Our members in the GMG Union and Onion Union have demanded bargaining from G/O Media on this new workplace development to no avail,” WGAE said today.

Read the full WGA East statement below. Calling bot-penned journalism “an oxymoron,” the union noted that “last week, G/O Media published AI-generated articles on several unionized properties, embarrassing staff who work hard under untenable conditions to fill websites with relevant, accurate, and engaging journalism.

The posted articles, called ‘tests’ by G/O management, were riddled with errors and even an ethnic slur. Management’s ill-considered decision to use AI — after both unions openly and preemptively pleaded against it — garnered deservedly negative media coverage everywhere—industry trades, technology sites, and even Fox News.” Here is the WGA East’s full statement on G/O Media sites using AI-generated articles: The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) council demands an immediate end of AI-generated articles on G/O Media sites (A.V.