Unraveling the Chaos: Microsoft's AI and the Turmoil in News Reporting
Microsoft's AI faces controversy for spreading false claims like President Biden falling asleep during a wildfire victims' moment of silence, a Democratic Party orchestrated surge in Covid-19 cases, and an NBA player being labeled as useless The Guardian highlights fake news, unreliable sources, Microsoft's default homepage, and their tight-lipped response
President Joe Biden was falsely accused of falling asleep during a moment of silence for Maui wildfire victims. Furthermore, a conspiracy theory has been circulating, suggesting that the Democratic Party is intentionally orchestrating the current surge in Covid-19 cases before the election. Additionally, an obituary for a deceased NBA player described him as "useless."
These misleading and peculiar stories are not originating from obscure corners of the internet, but rather, they are being published by Microsoft. The company's homepage, also known as MSN.com and Microsoft Start, remains one of the most popular websites globally and serves as a source of news for millions of Americans on a daily basis.
Microsoft's recent decision to rely more on automation and artificial intelligence, rather than human editors, to manage its homepage has led to an increase in the dissemination of false and bizarre stories, according to individuals familiar with the site's operations who spoke to CNN. As the default start page on Microsoft devices and featured on the company's latest "Edge" browser, which replaced Internet Explorer, the site previously employed over 800 editors in 2018 to select and curate news stories for its global audience.
In recent years, Microsoft has downsized its editing team, informing some employees that they would be replaced by "automation," which they believed to be AI. Microsoft's early investment in OpenAI, the developers of the popular ChatGPT app, has positioned the company at the forefront of the exciting yet potentially risky AI revolution, despite the fact that its president has publicly emphasized the responsible utilization of this technology.
The Guardian
However, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by Microsoft to spread false information has raised concerns about the company's embrace of this emerging technology and its implications for the journalism field as a whole.
Microsoft's utilization of AI in its news content sparked concerns and tensions, culminating in The Guardian accusing the tech giant of tarnishing its reputation. The controversy arose when Microsoft published an article from The Guardian on its website. To support its popular news portal, Microsoft has entered into licensing agreements with renowned global news organizations such as CNN and The Guardian. These agreements enable Microsoft to republish articles from these outlets in exchange for a portion of the advertising revenue.
The Guardian recently released an article discussing the tragic death of 21-year-old Lilie James, who was discovered lifeless with severe head injuries at a school in Sydney, Australia. This incident has sparked widespread mourning and initiated a nationwide discourse in Australia regarding the issue of violence targeting women.
When The Guardian's story was republished by MSN, they added an AI-generated poll alongside it, asking readers their opinion on the cause of the woman's death. The poll presented three options: murder, accident, or suicide. Microsoft's readers were quick to criticize the poll, with one person stating, "I've never seen such a pathetic and disgusting poll before."
In a strongly worded letter to Microsoft obtained by CNN, Anna Bateson, the CEO of the Guardian Media Group, expressed deep concern regarding the auto-generated poll facilitated by the company's AI technology. Bateson demanded that Microsoft fully accept responsibility for this matter.
Bateson further stated that the application in question not only has the potential to distress the family of the individual featured in the story but also poses a significant threat to the Guardian's hard-earned reputation for reliable and sensitive journalism, as well as the credibility of the journalists responsible for the original article. In her letter addressed to Microsoft President Brad Smith, she emphasized the gravity of the situation.
Bateson expressed concerns regarding Microsoft's use of an AI-generated poll in conjunction with the article, highlighting that this situation reinforces the warnings previously given to Microsoft about applying genAI technologies to Guardian-licensed journalism. Responding to the incident, a Microsoft spokesperson assured that all polls on news articles will be disabled and the company is actively investigating the cause of the inappropriate content. Moreover, preventive measures will be implemented to avoid such errors in the future.
Fake news
But the distasteful poll was not the first public blunder caused by Microsofts embrace of AI.
In August, a false story was featured on MSN's homepage alleging that President Joe Biden had fallen asleep during a moment of silence for the victims of the devastating Maui wildfire.
The following month, Microsoft republished an article about the untimely death of Brandon Hunter, a former NBA player, with the headline, "Brandon Hunter tragically passes away at 42."
In October, Microsoft published an article alleging that San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston had resigned from his position due to criticism from Elon Musk. However, this information was completely untrue.
Microsoft has resurfaced articles from lesser-known websites, which may have been overlooked amidst the overwhelming spread of online misinformation. By republishing these articles, Microsoft has given them newfound visibility to potentially millions of readers, thereby lending credibility to their claims. Former Microsoft editors revealed to CNN that without the utilization of AI, Microsoft would not have prominently showcased such false stories or articles originating from low-quality websites.
Unreliable sources
In May 2020, Ryn Pfeuffer, who had served as a contractor for Microsoft for eight years, received a phone call informing her that her entire team would be laid off.
In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, a Microsoft spokesperson revealed that in 2020, the company initiated the process of implementing a "personalized feed" which utilizes an algorithm to cater to the specific interests of their audiences. As an editor for Microsoft's lifestyle vertical, Pfeuffers responsibilities included selecting and curating stories to be showcased on various Microsoft sites.
Pfeuffer, speaking to CNN, highlighted the strong camaraderie and exceptional skills of the editorial team who had collaborated for an extended period of time. This group, which comprised experienced journalists, approached their role as curators with utmost seriousness.
According to her, the extent of the user base of MSN is often underestimated. Pfeuffer emphasized the need for responsibility in selecting content for the site, considering the significant number of readers who could potentially be influenced by it.
Microsoft has not disclosed the number of human editors involved in curating the site, leaving it uncertain if AI and algorithms solely handle the task.
When Pfeuffer recently visited the Microsoft homepage, she found it unrecognizable compared to the portal she and her colleagues used to curate. Besides the inclusion of clearly false and outrageous articles, the site has prominently featured hyper-partisan content with headlines such as "Should America permanently remove Biden?" and "Unveiling a bleaker aspect of the crisis under Joe Biden."
The stories CNN witnessed on Microsoft's homepage were not published by reputable news organizations. Instead, they originated from smaller sites that lack information about their source and editorial standards. Pfeuffer expressed shock that such websites, which appear to be factual but are not legitimate news sources, are spreading disinformation on the homepage.
"We tried to cover everything very fairly from all sides and not take a political stance on topics," she told CNN.
Homepage by default
Sensational headlines like these caught the attention of Ferris Kawar, a father of two and a sustainability manager residing in Santa Monica, California. Following a recent software update, Kawar's default web browser switched to Microsoft Edge, consequently changing his homepage to Microsoft.
"It felt as though I were waiting in line at the supermarket, glancing through a sensationalist headline on the front page of the National Enquirer," Kawar remarked to CNN.
"In my opinion, Microsoft is generally a reliable company," he stated. "I do not perceive them as having any political bias. However, this particular content appeared to be clearly leaning towards the right."
Tight-lipped Microsoft
Microsoft and its president Brad Smith have published extensively about the responsible use of AI.
When questioned by CNN, the company did not provide detailed information.
In a statement on Wednesday, a Microsoft representative stated, "As part of our ongoing efforts to improve, we are continuously adapting our procedures, updating current policies, and developing new ones to accommodate new developments. We are dedicated to resolving the recent problem of low-quality articles being added to the feed and are collaborating closely with our content partners to identify and rectify issues, ensuring they adhere to our standards."
However, The Guardian expressed dissatisfaction with the tech company's response to their inquiries regarding the incorporation of AI technology in their journalism. In contrast, Kawar has reverted to using Google Chrome as his default browser, no longer favoring Microsoft as his homepage. Nevertheless, there are still millions of people worldwide who continue to rely on Microsoft for their news updates.
"If they are going to have a front page that is all about news then they should take that responsibility seriously and understand that it has implications for society," Kawar said.
