--- title: "Microsoft Sued For AI Article Accusing Innocent Man of Sexual Misconduct" description: "An Irish man sued Microsoft after MSN circulated an AI article falsely accusing him of sexual misconduct, per a New York Times investigation." date: "2024-06-06" modified: "2024-06-06" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/microsoft-sued-ai-article" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "ai journalism" - "microsoft" - "misinformation" --- # Microsoft Sued For AI Article Accusing Innocent Man of Sexual Misconduct ![An Irish man sued Microsoft after MSN circulated an AI article falsely accusing him of sexual misconduct, per a New York Times investigation.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* An Irish DJ and talk show host is suing Microsoft after discovering that MSN circulated an AI-fabricated news article falsely accusing him of sexual misconduct, a [*New York Times* investigation]() into the AI-powered fake news provider reveals. According to the *NYT*, that AI-powered news service, "*BNN Breaking*," produced an article claiming that an Irish broadcaster named Dave Fanning was due to face "trial over alleged sexual misconduct," complete with a photo of a photo of the falsely accused media figure. Worse yet, the erroneous reporting was scooped up by MSN — the somehow not-dead-yet Microsoft site that aggregates news — and was featured on its homepage for several hours before being taken down. Fanning is now suing both *BNN* and Microsoft for defamation, arguing that the article was live long enough to cause reputational damage. "You wouldn't believe the amount of people who got in touch," Fanning told the *NYT*. It's an unfortunate example of the tangible harms that arise when AI tools implicate real people in bad information as they confidently — and convincingly — weave together fact and fiction. Add that this article was published on a site expressly designed to look like a real news site and circulated on the homepage of the AI-reliant media giant that is MSN, and Fanning's experience represents a multi-pronged failure of AI-enmeshed information pathways. The troubles with MSN go back years. Back [in 2020](), it laid off dozens of journalists, annihilating the teams responsible for curating syndicated news and replacing exiting staffers with AI. Since automating, the platform has had an [increasingly difficult time]() keeping misinformation from trickling through its algorithms; *Futurism* reported in 2022 that the service was platforming everything from [fake Elon Musk gossip]() to hogwash about [Bigfoot and mermaid discoveries](). And if Bigfoot conspiracies slip through MSN's very large and automated cracks, it's not surprising that a real-enough-looking AI-generated article like "Prominent Irish broadcaster faces trial over alleged sexual misconduct" made it onto the site's homepage. Which brings us to *BNN*. According to the *NYT*, the website was founded by an [alleged abuser]() and tech entrepreneur named Gurbaksh Chahal, who billed *BNN* as "a revolution in the journalism industry." But as detailed in the investigation, *BNN* wasn't so much a journalism "revolution" as it was a worst-case journalistic perversion. Underpaid employees were asked to feed published articles from other news services into generative AI tools and spit out paraphrased versions. The team was soon using AI to churn out *thousands* of articles a day, most of which were never fact-checked by a person. Eventually, per the *NYT*, the website's AI tools randomly started assigning employees' names to AI-generated articles they never touched. And yet, most disturbingly, it *worked.* In addition to seeing articles scooped up by the likes of MSN — which was licensing *BNN*'s oft-stolen content and sharing the resulting ad revenue, therefore profiting off *BNN*'s content — and Google News, BNN stories were even linked back to by reputable outlets like *The Washington Post* and *Politico.* Fanning's case is still pending. From top to bottom, though, the false article was an AI-meets-media mess: an AI-generated article with unsubstantiated claims about a real person hits MSN, where humanless AI aggregators make that misinformation front-page news. MSN and *BNN* both make money from ads. Fanning, meanwhile, [loses control over his public image](). Per the *NYT*, Microsoft — which is one of the biggest contenders in Silicon Valley's ongoing AI race — has yet to comment on the case. *BNN* no longer exists. Now it's BNNGPT, a — what else? — AI-powered search tool that, per its [About Us]() page, is "redefining the way you search and interact with information." It's safe to say that the folks behind BNN have already done exactly that — just not for the better. **More on AI and media:** [*News Site Says It's Using to AI to Crank Out Articles Bylined by Fake Racially Diverse Writers in a Very Responsible Way*]() ## 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]()