Faux Boeuf Delivers Zero Calories Plus a Non-Human Toxin
August 29, 2025
No AI. Just a dinobaby working the old-fashioned way.
That sizzling rib AI called boeuf à la Margaux Blanchard is a treat. I learned about this recipe for creating filling, substantive, calorie laden content in “Wired and Business Insider Remove Articles by AI-Generated Freelancer.” I can visualize the meeting in which the decision was taken to hire Margaux Blanchard. I can also run in my mental VHS, the meeting when the issue was discovered. In my version, the group agreed to blame it on a contractor and the lousy job human resource professionals do these days.
What’s the “real” story? Let go to the Guardian write up:
On Thursday [August 22, 2025], Press Gazette reported that at least six publications, including Wired and Business Insider, have removed articles from their websites in recent months after it was discovered that the stories – written under the name of Margaux Blanchard – were AI-generated.
I frequently use the phrase “ordained officiant” in my dinobaby musings. Doesn’t everyone with some journalism experience?
The write u p said:
Wired’s management acknowledged the faux pas, saying: “If anyone should be able to catch an AI scammer, it’s Wired. In fact we do, all the time … Unfortunately, one got through. We made errors here: This story did not go through a proper fact-check process or get a top edit from a more senior editor … We acted quickly once we discovered the ruse, and we’ve taken steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again. In this new era, every newsroom should be prepared to do the same.”
Yeah, unfortunately and quickly. Yeah.
I liked this paragraph in the story:
This incident of false AI-generated reporting follows a May error when the Chicago Sun-Times’ Sunday paper ran a syndicated section with a fake reading list created by AI. Marco Buscaglia, a journalist who was working for King Features Syndicate, turned to AI to help generate the list, saying: “Stupidly, and 100% on me, I just kind of republished this list that [an AI program] spit out … Usually, it’s something I wouldn’t do … Even if I’m not writing something, I’m at least making sure that I correctly source it and vet it and make sure it’s all legitimate. And I definitely failed in that task.” Meanwhile, in June, the Utah court of appeals sanctioned a lawyer after he was discovered to have used ChatGPT for a filing he made in which he referenced a nonexistent court case.
Hey, that AI is great. It builds trust. It is intellectually satisfying just like some time in the kitchen with Margot Blanchard, a hot laptop, and some spicy prompts. Yum yum yum.
Stephen E Arnold, August 29, 2025
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