--- title: "After Scandal, CNET Adds Strange Disclaimer to Human-Written Articles About AI" description: "Last week, we broke the news that CNET, widely deemed a staunch old guard of no-nonsense journalism, was very quietly publishing AI-written articles under the pseudonym \"CNET Money Staff.\" A lot of people were pissed, especially considering that CNET wasn't exactly forthright about the publication's move to test \"new technologies,\" as their Editor in Chief […]" date: "2023-01-19" modified: "2023-01-20" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/cnet-adds-disclaimer-articles-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "artificial intelligence" - "cnet" - "journalism" --- # After Scandal, CNET Adds Strange Disclaimer to Human-Written Articles About AI ![Any and all CNET stories about AI are marked with a very odd editor's note that lets readers know that elsewhere on the site, AI is writing articles.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Last week, we broke the news that *CNET*, a staunch old guard of no-nonsense tech journalism, had been *very* quietly [publishing AI-written articles]() under the pseudonym "*CNET* Money Staff." A lot of people [were irked](), especially considering that *CNET* wasn't exactly forthright about its "testing" of a "new technology," as editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo [described the program]() after the backlash. To its credit, *CNET* did make some changes. It dropped the "staff" from the AI's byline, for instance, and added a more prominent disclosure. Still, even after Guglielmo's note, we discovered something else about the bot: it seemed to be [making some spectacularly stupid mistakes](), in spite of *CNET's* insistence that a human was editing and fact-checking its work. In response to questions about the AI's mistakes, *CNET* issued an extensive correction on the story we highlighted, and added an editor's note to virtually everything else the bot has published, saying it's currently being reviewed for accuracy. Good! Now *CNET* appears to have made another change, and this one is strange. It seems that a bunch of stories about AI — no, not *written* by AI, just *about* it — are now being marked with an editor's note that lets readers know that elsewhere on the site, artificial intelligence is being used to generate content. Thanks for the heads up? Take, for example, a [just-published *CNET* story]() about musician [Nick Cave's absolute hatred]() for AI-generated songs, which he described as a "grotesque mockery of what it is to be human." Though the article is bylined by a human writer, a disclaimer at the bottom is there to let you know that elsewhere in its digital halls, *CNET*'s AI has been buzzing away at maybe-ill-informed financial explainers (in what some might call a "grotesque mockery" of what it is to be an entry-level writer.) "*CNET* is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors," reads the blurb, which links back to that statement from Guglielmo. *Are you a current or former CNET employee who wants to discuss the company's foray into AI-generated articles? Email [tips@futurism.com]() to share your perspective. It's okay if you don't want to be identified by name.* That same disclaimer appears to now be tacked onto most new stories about AI, though with some exceptions. This [piece]() about the latest AI-powered exploits of Boston Dynamics' robot Atlas, for instance, doesn't have one. And this [review]() of a Netflix show involving an artificially intelligent robot has no disclaimer, either. Interestingly, the outlet has also been retroactively adding the note to [material]() published back before the outlet's foray into AI-powered journalism (here's an [archived version](), showing no sign of the disclosure a few weeks ago.) But a vast swathe of coverage from its archive still has no disclaimer. A *CNET* spokesperson didn't respond to questions about the notes. While we're glad to see some effort on *CNET's* part to move forward with a bit more transparency, the disclaimer is a bit weird. After all, the AI-generated articles don't have a disclaimer saying that elsewhere on the site there are stories written by humans, right? And why is it going out on some stories but not others? In some ways, it has the approximate tone of, say, *The* *Washington Post* when it covers its owner, Jeff Bezos, or entities he's involved in. That's an important disclosure for the sake of journalistic integrity, of course, but this AI one on *CNET* is a bit different. If anything, maybe it's just a sign of how peculiar the rise of AI may be about to get in the media industry. **More on the *CNET's* financially illiterate AI ruler:** [*CNET's Article-Writing AI Is Already Publishing Very Dumb Errors*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()