AIeeee! The Sun-Times and its parent, Chicago Public Media, are enduring international ridicule over Sunday’s special section—licensed from King Features, a unit of the Hearst newspaper chain—featuring a summer reading list recommending books that don’t exist.
■ In its defense, the Sun-Times says the section was neither approved nor created by its journalists …
■ … but instead was generated by a Chicago-based freelancer who admits to having used artificial intelligence to create the list—telling Sun-Times sibling WBEZ, “Stupidly, and 100% on me, I just kind of republished this list,” and admitting that he also used AI for other articles in that special section.
■ The Sun-Times Guild: “We’re deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work.”
■ King Features: “We are terminating our relationship with this individual.”
■ The Philadelphia Inquirer ran the same section under its brand.
■ Popverse calls it “the best argument against using generative AI in journalism.”
■ A Poynter ethicist: “We have to experiment and cannot let tech companies dictate how and when these tools are used. But that requires a significant investment in time and resources. Otherwise, we risk losing our audience’s trust, and there’s no coming back from that.”
■ Newcity publisher Brian Hieggelke asked Google’s AI tool to rewrite this whole story in the voices of two acclaimed Chicago writers—and was delighted at the result.
■ Chicago magazine snarks: “Looking for summer book recommendations that weren’t generated by AI?”
■ Good news for Sun-Times subscribers: You won’t be charged for that “premium edition.”
But wait—there’s more! Google’s going all in on AI for its next wave of products.
■ Tech Crunch reviews all that Google revealed to developers yesterday.
Habeas stultitia. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem put her ignorance front and center as she flunked a Senate question about the meaning of habeas corpus.
■ Historian Heather Cox Richardson says that was just one of several rough moments yesterday for Trump’s team on Capitol Hill …
■ … as illustrated by Wonkette’s Evan Hurst’s roundup of “videos of members of Congress beating the dicksnot out of Trump officials.”
Need a COVID shot? A new Trump administration policy limits approval for seasonal COVID-19 shots to seniors and others at high risk.
■ Your Local Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina: “This is not how vaccine policy should be made.”
■ Wonkette: “Insurance companies will probably no longer cover the vaccines for anyone else. So even if you just want to increase your vaccine protection … you’ll have to pay for it out of pocket.”
■ Progress Report editor Jordan Zakarin: Trump’s war on medicine is killing miracle cures.
■ Columnist Jamison Foser: “Years of Republican lies about vaccines … resulted in Republican voters trusting the likes of Donald Trump and RFK Jr. significantly more than they trust the scientists and health experts.”
■ The American Prospect: “Medicare fraud? Insider trading? Another new CEO? Just a normal week at UnitedHealth.”
■ The Guardian: UnitedHealth “secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents.”
Trouble in Springfield. State lawmakers took shelter briefly yesterday after a tornado reportedly touched down not far from the state capital.
■ Website maintenance put the Illinois police program for approving the sale of ammunition in the state on hold until later today.
‘No Surrender.’ As his European tour rolls on, Bruce Springsteen’s not backing down from his criticism of Donald Trump.
■ Here’s video.
■ Taking things a step further, Springsteen’s released a recording of the tour’s opening night—including his words condemning Trump. (Cartoon: Jack Ohman.)
‘I am a proud company man.’ Amid reports the company’s cut a deal with the Trump administration, Stephen Colbert last night trolled his bosses.
■ Journalism critic Margaret Sullivan mourns CBS’ corporate parent’s seeming moves to appease Donald Trump.
■ In an interview with Vanity Fair, NBC News reporter turned CEO of The Onion Ben Collins discusses his girlfriend, Chicago congressional hopeful Kat Abughazaleh.
Norm! Chicago-born Second City alumnus George Wendt, who went on to fame as a star of Cheers, is dead at 76.
■ He helped his nephew Jason Sudeikis get a job on Saturday Night Live.
■ Jimmy Kimmel is now late night’s first grandfather since Johnny Carson.
‘I no longer really remember starting daily news browsing any other way.’ That’s a reader’s praise for Chicago Public Square—which remains free for all thanks to generous support from a relative few.
■ You can join their ranks by pitching in as little as $1, just once.
■ Give a bit more and get a free Square T-shirt or a hoodie.
■ Or you can just plain buy one.
■ P.S. They come with an unconditional return policy.
■ Mike Braden made this edition better.