Wikipedia no longer considers CNET a “generally reliable” source after “AI” scandal

Remember last year, when we reported that the Red Ventures-owned CNEThad been quietly publishing dozens of AI-generated articles that turned out to be filled with errors and plagiarism?

The revelation kicked off a fiery debate about the future of the media in the era of AI - as well as an equally passionate discussion among editors of Wikipedia, who needed to figure out how to treat CNET content going forward.

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Gerard's admonition was posted on January 18, 2023, just a few days after our initial story about CNETs use of AI. The comment launched a discussion that would ultimately result in CNET's demotion from its once-strong Wikipedia rating of generally reliable." It was a grim fall that one former Red Ventures employee told us could put a huge dent in their SEO efforts," and also a cautionary tale about the wide-ranging reputational effects that publishers should consider before moving into AI-generated content.

Maggie Harrison Dupre

Excellent response by Wikipedia. Any outlet that uses spicy autocomplete to generate content needs to be booted off Wikipedia.