A leading Australian science magazine garnered backlash after publishing AI-generated articles that scientists slammed as "oversimplified and incorrect."

Cosmos, a science magazine backed by Australia's national science agency, used Open AI's Chat-GPT 4 in six of its articles published last month with full disclosure. However, the Science Journalists Association of Australia said the utilization of AI had signaled major concerns.

Speaking to AFP, the Association's president Jackson Ryan said the scientific processes discussed in an article titled "What happens to our bodies after death?" were oversimplified or wrong. 

For example, the AI server wrote that rigor mortis [post-mortem muscle stiffening] sets in 3 to 4 hours following an individual's death. According to scientists, the timing in reality is less definitive. Another example describes autolysis, a process during which cells are destroyed by their enzymes, as a "self-breaking" process, which could be misleading. 

Although the pieces were fact-checked by a "trained science communicator and edited by the Cosmos publishing team," Ryan said the use of AI would diminish people's trust in the magazine. 

While the magazine claimed it was reviewing AI usage during the experiment, it has also been criticized for using a journalism grant for AI development at the expense of journalists.

Former editors Gail MacCallum and Ian Connellan expressed concerns about the AI project. AI's use is contentious for publishers and musicians, with The New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft for using articles without permission. 

AI produces 3,000 Australian local news stories a week

In late July, according to Mediaweek, Michael Miller, News Corp Australia's executive chair, told the World News Media Congress in Taipei that a unit of four employees, Data Local, is using AI technology to create thousands of local reports on weather, gasoline prices, and traffic conditions.

Data Local is led by News Corp's data journalism editor Peter Judd, and many of the pieces carry his byline. 

The unit supplies reporter content for the firm's 75 "hyper-local" mastheads around the nation, including Penrith, Lismore, Fairfield, Bundaberg, and Cairns.

A News Corp spokesperson stated that stories such as "Where to find the cheapest fuel in Penrith" are developed using AI but monitored by humans, something undisclosed on its website. 

A World Association of News Publishers survey indicated that most new subscribers start with local news and then go on to national and international news as well as lifestyle information, stated Miller.

A Newscorp executive highlighted that hyperlocal mastheads drive 55% of all subscriptions, launching 24 in recent years.

“If that single journalist can generate seven new subscriptions a week, then their salary is covered,” Miller stated. “They are in progressive communities with active sporting, political, business, and tourism interests and lower social media engagement.”

A spokesperson for the company stated that it has been “carefully evaluating the possible uses of AI for some time" and "testing ways AI might enhance our public interest journalism and make our content accessible to more Australians.”