--- title: "MSN Deletes Plagiarized, Incoherent AI Articles, Then Continues Cranking Out More" description: "MSN aggregated a seemingly AI-generated article about the recent death of former NBA player Brandon Hunter, which has now been taken down." date: "2023-09-14" modified: "2023-09-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/msn-deletes-plagiarized-incoherent-ai-generated-articles-but-continues-publishing-more" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "journalism" - "Media" - "msn" --- # MSN Deletes Plagiarized, Incoherent AI Articles, Then Continues Cranking Out More ![MSN aggregated a seemingly AI-generated article about the recent death of former NBA player Brandon Hunter, which has now been taken down.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Earlier today, we [published a story]() about Microsoft's *MSN* news portal syndicating a garbled, [seemingly AI-generated article]() about the recent, tragic death of former NBA player Brandon Hunter. The article, which was put together by a publication called *Race Track*, accused Hunter of being "useless at 42," the likely result of an algorithm plagiarizing a *TMZ Sports* blog on the subject — while making an absolute mess of the source in the process. Now, while *MSN* has yet to respond to our initial request for comment, it appears to have taken down the offending article, alongside several other *Race Track* articles identified by *Futurism.* The deleted articles include a recent piece about [Kevin Porter Jr's arrest for domestic violence]() and another [particularly egregious piece]() about "Corridor of Fame" football player "Pleasure Taylor," likely a deeply confused reference to NFL Hall of Famer Joy Taylor. Despite *MSN* taking down the articles, *Race Track* is still publishing a barrage of barely intelligible gibberish — and *MSN* keeps syndicating them. Just an hour before press time, the shadowy publication [published a story]() titled "7 Causes to Strive Golfing as a Scholar," which appears to be a ripoff of a [2022 article]() put together by *Golf Monthly*. Another [unintentionally hilarious article]() about Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez claims he's on team "Purple Bull," rather than Red Bull. It's not the first time Microsoft has been caught publishing lazy, AI-generated content through its news portal. For instance, *MSN* [published and then deleted]() [a similarly incoherent AI-generated travel guide]() for Ottawa, Canada last month that recommended tourists visit a local food bank. In other words, we're not talking about one-off examples of incoherent articles hitting mainstream news sites. By treating the issue as a game of whack-a-mole — deleting specific articles as they're discovered by publications like *Futurism* and *The Verge* — *MSN* is clearly failing to address the root cause of the issue. As a result, there's a good chance we'll see more nonsensical, AI-generated articles slipping through the cracks, especially in the absence of an effective, systematic approach to content moderation. We'll be watching. **More on the story:** *[Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"]()* ## 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]()