--- title: "Whatever You Think of BuzzFeed’s AI Quizzes, They’re Way Less Horrible Than What CNET Has Been Doing" description: "BuzzFeed choosing to bring OpenAI in to beef up its quizzes is certainly not great news in this economy — but it's nowhere near as bad as CNET's AI content." date: "2023-02-02" modified: "2023-02-02" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/buzzfeed-cnet-ai-differences" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "buzzfeed" - "chatgpt" - "cnet" - "OpenAI" --- # Whatever You Think of BuzzFeed’s AI Quizzes, They’re Way Less Horrible Than What CNET Has Been Doing ![BuzzFeed choosing to bring OpenAI in to beef up its quizzes is certainly not great news in this economy — but it's nowhere near as bad as CNET's AI content.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* As if the journalism industry wasn't already troubled enough, it's been wracked with turmoil in recent weeks as media outlets have started using artificial intelligence to beef up their content machines. If you've glanced at *Futurism*'s headlines over the past month, you'll know that we've been [steadfastly following]() news about the tech news site [*CNET* quietly running content]() generated by an AI it won't even name. Even worse, the *CNET* AI's work quickly turned out to be filled with [errors]() and even [plagiarism](). (*CNET* eventually issued corrections on [more than half]() of the bot's 70-odd articles, acknowledging both factual mistakes and "phrases that were not entirely original.") And *even* worse, it [later emerged]() that *CNET*'s leadership knew of the AI's tendency to lie and plagiarize before the deployment, but went ahead and rolled it out anyway. Right in the midst of *CNET*'s colossal screwup, a new challenger emerged: *BuzzFeed,* which said last week that it's [going to start using OpenAI's software]() to generate a new form of its infamous quizzes. Some at *BuzzFeed* were furiously angry about the news, with columnist Max Collins [telling the company's CEO Jonah Peretti]() to "get fucked." Indeed, the specter of a slippery slope to further [job losses]() looms heavily over the story. But we have to admit, compared to *CNET*, *BuzzFeed*'s plan doesn't actually sound that bad. For one thing, the *BuzzFeed* actually announced its plan ahead of time, instead of slapping a so-tiny-that-literally-nobody-noticed-it-for-two-full-months disclaimer on the AI content, like *CNET* did. The lack of informed consent in the experiment was a glaring issue with *CNET* from the jump, so kudos to *BuzzFeed* for doing better there. For another, at least in theory, *BuzzFeed*'s plan doesn't involve automating away any actual human writers' jobs, like *CNET*'s very clearly did. Instead, the idea is that staffers will dream up clever quizzes into which readers will input specific information, allowing the reader to get a hyper-personalized response. At least in theory, that choose-your-own-adventure style of quiz sounds kind of awesome. And by the same token, *CNET*'s most extraordinary blunder was letting the bot make factual claims aimed at people looking at real info, which it messed up almost beyond belief. It sounds like *BuzzFeed*, in contrast, is just having some fun with the tech. For its part, *BuzzFeed*'s leadership seems aware that — at least compared to *CNET* — it looks pretty thoughtful about the whole thing. "I think that there are two paths for AI in digital media," Peretti [told *CNN* of the plan](). "One path is the obvious path that a lot of people will do — but it’s a depressing path — using the technology for cost savings and spamming out a bunch of SEO articles that are lower quality than what a journalist could do, but a tenth of the cost. That’s one vision, but to me, that’s a depressing vision and a shortsighted vision because in the long run it’s not going to work." That said, some *BuzzFeed* staffers are still nervous, with one expressing anxiety that they'd be the "first the robot replaces." The fear, in other words, is that an experiment in one domain could lead to a much larger program that automates away more and more writing careers. A former *BuzzFeed* staffer said that "the news sent the smallest shiver down my spine," adding that "I feel badly about the move, and the ethics it comprises, and the new standards it sets for media." But *BuzzFeed* "has always taken big risks. maybe it knows something we don't about how to infuse AI into copy responsibly," they added. As with most other stories to come out of the tech's raucous debut, this one is a mixed bag, and we leave it to the ones who [actually work at the affected organizations]() to lead the discourse about it. **More on AI:** [*Amazing New CatGPT AI Answers as If It Were a Kitty Cat*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()