Controversy Erupts Over AI-Generated Obituary on Microsoft’s MSN: Was it Plagiarism or a Translation Program?, US

Controversy surrounds Microsoft’s MSN platform as social media users speculate whether an obituary for NBA player Brandon Hunter was generated by AI, plagiarized, or produced by a translation program. The obituary, titled Brandon Hunter useless at 42 and credited to an Editor, appeared on MSN shortly after Hunter’s death. However, the obituary’s content seemed to follow a similar format to a story on TMZ Sports, with alterations in punctuation and the use of synonyms that rendered it incomprehensible. The obituary originated from a website called Race Track, which has since disappeared along with the MSN obituary. Race Track has also been accused of publishing articles that appear to be reworked from other sources. Social media users questioned whether the obituary was a result of AI, a flawed translation program, or plagiarism. Microsoft, under scrutiny for its use of AI in MSN articles, recently faced criticism for featuring a travel guide recommending a Canadian food bank in Ottawa. MSN fired several journalists in 2020 and came under further scrutiny for publishing dubious articles. Microsoft has since removed the controversial obituary and emphasized its commitment to enhancing systems that prevent inaccurate information from appearing on its channels.