--- title: "Microsoft Shamelessly Pumping Internet Full of Garbage AI-Generated “News” Articles" description: "Microsoft has been using MSN to distribute misleading and oftentimes incomprehensible garbage to hundreds of millions of readers per month." date: "2023-11-02" modified: "2023-11-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/microsoft-pumping-internet-full-garbage-ai-news" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai content" - "microsoft" - "msn" --- # Microsoft Shamelessly Pumping Internet Full of Garbage AI-Generated “News” Articles ![Microsoft has been using MSN to distribute misleading and oftentimes incomprehensible garbage to hundreds of millions of readers per month.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* We've known that Microsoft's *MSN* news portal has been [pumping out]() a garbled, AI-generated firehose for [well over a year now](). The company has been using the website to distribute misleading and oftentimes incomprehensible garbage to hundreds of millions of readers per month. As [*CNN* now reports](), that's likely in large part due to *MSN*'s decision to [lay off most of the human editors at *MSN*]() over the years. In the wake of that culling, the company has redirected its efforts toward AI, [culminating in a $10 billion stake]() in ChatGPT maker OpenAI earlier this year. And if *MSN* presents a vision of how the tech industry's obsession with AI is going to play out in the information ecosystem, we're in for a rough ride. Beyond republishing stories by small, unknown publishers — like the one that [infamously called]() former NBA player Brandon Hunter, who [passed away unexpectedly]() at the age of 42 in September, "useless" in its headline — Microsoft using a variety of tactics to shoehorn AI into its *MSN*. Sometimes it's even generating AI content itself, like when it [published and then deleted]() a bizarre travel guide to Ottawa, Canada that recommended visiting a food bank "on an empty stomach." "This article has been removed and we are investigating how it made it through our review process," Microsoft's senior director of communications said in the wake of the embarrassment. Most recently, the tech giant [landed in hot water]() for running a disgusting AI-generated poll next to a syndicated article by *The Guardian* about a woman who'd been found dead in Australia. The tasteless poll questioned whether readers thought the woman had died by suicide, murder, or accident, noting in a disclaimer that the poll was part of Microsoft's "insights from AI." *The Guardian* [accused]() Microsoft of "damaging its journalistic reputation" by publishing the poll. In response, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the company has deactivated its poll feature and is "investigating the cause of the inappropriate content." *MSN* has also published other junk content, including bogus stories about [fishermen catching mermaids and Bigfoot spottings]() in the wake of ditching its human editors in favor of automation. Noticing a pattern yet? The company pumps out trash-tier AI content, then waits until it's called out publicly to quietly delete it and move onto the next trainwreck. Former editors at *MSN* are aghast. "We had a really tight knit, super talented editorial team and we had all worked together for a long time," Ryn Pfeuffer, who worked intermittently under contract with Microsoft as an *MSN* lifestyle editor, but was laid off in 2020, told *CNN*. "I don’t think people realize how many people use \[*MSN*\]," she added. "You had to be responsible what you put on the site because so many people would read it and could be swayed by it." Now that Microsoft has transitioned to a "personalized feed" that is "tailored by an algorithm to the interests of our audiences" back in 2020, as a spokesperson told the broadcaster, a lot of badly researched, and easily disproven content has the potential to be seen by millions of users. "We are committed to addressing the recent issue of low quality articles contributed to the feed and are working closely with our content partners to identify and address issues to ensure they are meeting our standards," a spokesperson told *CNN* this week, following the ill-advised poll. Whether the company's concerns will result in meaningful action, however, remains to be seen. It certainly doesn't bode well for the future of AI in media, an industry already [facing considerable economic headwinds](). **More on MSN:** *[MSN Deletes Plagiarized, Incoherent AI Articles, Then Continues Cranking Out More]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()