Wyoming
Wyoming reporter caught fabricating quotes and stories with AI was forced to resign – Times of India
A Wyoming journalist has resigned after a competitor revealed that he used artificial intelligence to create fake quotes and stories, including quotes attributed to the state’s governor. The incident involved Aaron Pelczar, a 40-year-old rookie reporter at the Cody Enterprise, who admitted to using AI in his articles, according to a report by ABC News.
Powell Tribune reporter CJ Baker grew suspicious of Aaron Pelczar’s work when quotes from Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and a local prosecutor felt “slightly off” and “nearly robotic.” His concerns peaked with a June 26 article about Larry the Cable Guy leading the Cody Stampede Parade, which included odd lines like, “The 2024 Cody Stampede Parade promises to be an unforgettable celebration of American independence” and, “This structure ensures that the most critical information is presented first.”
After noticing these inconsistencies, Baker met with Pelczar, who admitted to using AI to generate stories and quotes. Pelczar said, “Obviously, I’ve never intentionally tried to misquote anybody,” and promised to correct the errors. He resigned shortly after.
Cody Enterprise editor Chris Bacon took responsibility for the oversight, admitting, “It matters not that the false quotes were the apparent error of a hurried rookie reporter that trusted AI. It was my job.” Bacon apologised, stating, “I failed to catch the AI copy and false quotes.” The newspaper, founded in 1899 by Buffalo Bill Cody, has since launched a full review of Aaron Pelczar’s work, discovering that seven of his articles contained AI-generated quotes from six different people.
Some of the fabricated quotes were attributed to Governor Gordon. Michael Pearlman, a spokesperson for the governor, told ABC News, “In one case, Pelczar wrote a story about a new OSHA rule that included a quote from the governor that was entirely fabricated.” Pearlman added that another story combined a real quote from a news release with a fabricated one.
Bacon observed that the quotes were “very believable,” but none of the individuals quoted had actually spoken to Pelczar. To prevent future incidents, Cody Enterprise is implementing an AI policy, with plans to have it in place by the end of the week. “This will be a pre-employment topic of discussion,” Bacon stated.
Powell Tribune reporter CJ Baker grew suspicious of Aaron Pelczar’s work when quotes from Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and a local prosecutor felt “slightly off” and “nearly robotic.” His concerns peaked with a June 26 article about Larry the Cable Guy leading the Cody Stampede Parade, which included odd lines like, “The 2024 Cody Stampede Parade promises to be an unforgettable celebration of American independence” and, “This structure ensures that the most critical information is presented first.”
After noticing these inconsistencies, Baker met with Pelczar, who admitted to using AI to generate stories and quotes. Pelczar said, “Obviously, I’ve never intentionally tried to misquote anybody,” and promised to correct the errors. He resigned shortly after.
Cody Enterprise editor Chris Bacon took responsibility for the oversight, admitting, “It matters not that the false quotes were the apparent error of a hurried rookie reporter that trusted AI. It was my job.” Bacon apologised, stating, “I failed to catch the AI copy and false quotes.” The newspaper, founded in 1899 by Buffalo Bill Cody, has since launched a full review of Aaron Pelczar’s work, discovering that seven of his articles contained AI-generated quotes from six different people.
Some of the fabricated quotes were attributed to Governor Gordon. Michael Pearlman, a spokesperson for the governor, told ABC News, “In one case, Pelczar wrote a story about a new OSHA rule that included a quote from the governor that was entirely fabricated.” Pearlman added that another story combined a real quote from a news release with a fabricated one.
Bacon observed that the quotes were “very believable,” but none of the individuals quoted had actually spoken to Pelczar. To prevent future incidents, Cody Enterprise is implementing an AI policy, with plans to have it in place by the end of the week. “This will be a pre-employment topic of discussion,” Bacon stated.