An auto-generated poll that Microsoft embedded on its news aggregating platform alongside a Guardian article was “crass” and caused The Guardian significant reputation damage, the newspaper said on Thursday.
The poll, which was posted last week next to an article about a woman who was found dead in a school bathroom in Australia, asked readers to speculate on the cause of the woman’s death.
It gave three choices: murder, accident or suicide.
The Guardian said the poll was created using generative artificial intelligence, which can generate text, images and other media from prompts.
Ms. Bateson said that The Guardian had already asked Microsoft not to apply its experimental technologies to Guardian news articles because of the risks it posed.
Persons:
Anna Bateson, ”, ” Ms, Bateson, Brad Smith, Ms
Organizations:
Microsoft, Guardian, Guardian Media Group
Locations:
Australia