Magazines caught using AI and fake writers for online stories
Belgian editions of Elle, Marie Claire and other women's magazines are claimed to have been using artificial intelligence to write hundreds of online articles under the names of fake journalists, complete with photographs and profiles.
'Sophie Vermeulen', who has written an impressive 403 articles for Elle online this year, was, according to her profile, complete with photograph, 'always ready to inspire you with fascinating stories or practical tips. Her passion for fashion and beauty is complemented by a love of travel and literature. Offline, you can spot her on a long walk in nature,' her Elle online profile said.
Her equally personable colleague 'Marta Peeters' was presented as a 'fashion and lifestyle journalist from Antwerp with a passion for stories that touch people', who has written 150 stories this year. 'She has a background in communication sciences and an inexhaustible curiosity about everything related to femininity, creativity and culture,' the profile said.
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Over on the Belgian Marie Claire website, owned by the same publisher, Ventures Media, almost half the online articles are by 'Claire De Wilde', who has 'developed a passion for travel, beauty and wellbeing'.
None of the writers actually exist. Their photographs and articles are creations of AI, although the artificial journalists only appear online and not in the print editions.
Perhaps more seriously, the online site of the magazine Psychologies, a publication dedicated to the 'personal development and wellbeing' of women, published the work of 'Femke'. Described as 'an editor specialising in psychology and well-being', the AI expert wrote articles describing herself as an 'experienced psychologist'.
In the real world, the Commission of Psychologists, the ethics watchdog for the profession in Belgium, is up in arms. 'The example of Femke, who presents herself as a psychologist under a journalistic profile and provides advice from that role, is not only misleading but also legally and socially unacceptable,' Carl Defreyne, the body's chairman, said.
Confronted by the Belgian public broadcaster VRT, the publisher has removed the fake names and profiles with articles now bylined 'Elle Belgium' or with a disclaimer that 'content was generated using AI and then reviewed and modified by our editorial team'.
'We understand that the use of aliases can lead to confusion and that is why we have now also adjusted this practice to make it clearer,' the publisher said. 'We generate articles that are entirely created by AI and have not been editorially reviewed. Aliases have been used within the framework of the test. It remains limited and is separate from the editorial team.'
The magazines are published as the Belgian version of the brand franchises. In Britain, Elle is published by a different company Hearst Magazines and Marie Claire is produced by Future Plc. There is no suggestion that either company uses AI.
The Dutch Elle is also published by Hearst. Gigi van der Zwaan, the company's digital editor in the Netherlands told the Dutch broadcaster NOS: 'They have very strict rules when it comes to AI. We are only allowed to use it to translate a word.'
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Hearst publishes the US, Spanish and Italian editions of Elle and does not use machine or AI translation for shared content. Publishers of the British editions of Elle and of Marie Clare have been approached for comment.
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