The grand experiment of using AI to create articles has already run into trouble at the Arena Group.
An AI-driven article in Men’s Journal titled
“What All Men Should Know About Low Testosterone" was riddled with factual errors, according to an analysis by a medical authority, Jon Christian writes in Futurism.
Bradley Anawalt, the chief of medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center, “reviewed the article and told Futurism that it contained 'persistent factual
mistakes and mischaracterizations of medical science that provide readers with a profoundly warped understanding of health issues,'” Christian reports.
The article "lacks many of
the nuances that are crucial to understand normal male health," Doctor Anawalt said.
The doctor also observed, “"There is just enough proximity to the scientific evidence and literature
to have the ring of truth, but there are many false and misleading notes."
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There were 18 specific errors in the AI-driven article, some “flagrantly wrong about basic medical
topics,” Anawalt continued.
Men’s Journal acknowledged some—but not all—of the errors.
Christian continues, "The original version of this story
described testosterone replacement therapy as using ‘synthetic hormones’ and stated poor nutrition as one of the most common causes of low T, which is inaccurate."
And many
of Anawalt’s criticisms remain unaddressed, Christian adds.
The Arena Group, which also publishes Sports Illustrated, announced earlier this week that
its Men’s Journal used AI for Its "Men’s Fitness" section. Automatically leveraging 17 years of archives, the editors were able to produce such articles as “Proven
Tips to Help You Run Your Fastest Mile Yet” and “The Best Ways for Men Over 40 to Maintain Muscle."
Overall, the AI test demonstrated strong page views, search and social referral,
RPM metrics and revenue performance, increasing workflow efficiencies by more than 10 times the normal rate, the company claimed.