Let’s take a moment to discuss the latest faux pas in the AI world. Microsoft, the tech giant, decided to use its AI to generate a poll. Sounds harmless, right? Well, not so much when it’s placed next to a story about a young woman’s tragic demise in Australia. The poll asked readers – and I’m not making this up – whether they thought the woman had met her end through suicide, murder, or accident. Classy move, Microsoft. This isn’t a crime novel, it’s real life.
Now, I’m not one to shy away from discussing the darker side of life, but even I can see that this was a spectacularly ill-judged move. The Guardian, from whom Microsoft had syndicated the article, was understandably less than thrilled. They’re seeking answers, and so am I. Was this a case of AI gone rogue, or just a lack of oversight?
Guardian Media Group CEO Anna Bateson penned a letter to Microsoft expressing her displeasure. She pointed out the potential distress caused to the victim’s family and the ‘significant reputational damage’ to The Guardian and its journalists. She also highlighted the fact that Microsoft was using its ‘experimental’ AI without the approval of the company. This isn’t a high school science experiment, folks.
Bateson also asked Microsoft how it plans to compensate its news partners when it uses their intellectual property in the training and live deployment of AI technologies. A fair question, I’d say. Microsoft, for its part, has deactivated the poll feature and is investigating the cause of the ‘inappropriate content’.
But let’s not forget that Microsoft isn’t the only one guilty of AI missteps. From BuzzFeed to CNET, many media platforms have made disastrous pivots to AI, leaving them with egg on their faces. Despite all the hype, we’re still waiting for a truly impressive deployment of AI in media. I guess the question is, when will they learn?
Our content is enriched by a variety of data from different sources. We appreciate the information available through public web sites, databases and reporting from organizations such as:
- https://futurism.com/microsoft-ai-poll-guardian
- https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/20/msn-news-ai-poll-next-to-article-about-dead-woman-sparks-outrage
- https://www.axios.com/media-ai-failures-continue-2d7b6e4c-9c10-4772-829b-7e922b3a7aca.html
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/tech
- https://www.cnet.com/news/ai/
