--- title: "Quartz Just Published an AI-Generated Article That Absolutely Butchers the Situation With Boeing’s Stranded Astronauts" description: "Quartz's news-generating AI tool, \"Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,\" is already publishing error-ridden articles." date: "2025-01-31" modified: "2025-01-31" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/quartz-ai-generated-article-boeing-astronauts" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "ai" - "ai journalism" - "ai-generated content" - "Media" --- # Quartz Just Published an AI-Generated Article That Absolutely Butchers the Situation With Boeing’s Stranded Astronauts ![Quartz's news-generating AI tool, "Quartz Intelligence Newsroom," is already publishing error-ridden articles.]() *No with robots, AI rejection concept \Image: Donald Iain Smith / Getty Images\* Earlier this month, [as *Aftermath f*irst reported](), the G/O Media-owned business news website *Quartz* quietly started churning out a huge number of AI-generated news articles. Surprise: its news bot is already publishing outrageous errors. For example, the publication's AI-powered "Quartz Intelligence Newsroom" byline [pushed out an article yesterday]() confidently declaring that NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have now been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for months due to the extraordinary failure of Boeing's Starliner, are still in space because their mission was intentionally "prolonged" so they could conduct maintenance on the ISS. "Their mission, originally intended for a shorter duration, was prolonged to accommodate a series of crucial maintenance tasks outside the ISS," reads the AI-generated news hit. As anyone with a passing interest in NASA or the private space sector knows, this is completely and utterly wrong. Though Williams and Wilmore, who were originally meant to be in space for about a week, *are* assisting other ISS crewmates with research and maintenance spacewalks, their many-months-longer-than-expected stay wasn't at all intentional. Instead, their return has been [repeatedly postponed]() because of colossal failures on Boeing's behalf. In short, their protracted ISS visit wasn't necessary for "maintenance tasks." It's all the result of a massive Boeing screwup that stranded two humans in orbit. But you wouldn't know that from *Quartz*'s AI-generated article, which completely bungles the facts of the astronauts' situation and — incredibly — ignores Boeing's central role in the debacle entirely. ![A screenshot showing numerous errors in a Quartz article that was generated using AI.]() Even the headline of the AI-generated article, "The Boeing Starliner astronauts took their first spacewalk," is incorrect. Yes, the duo [conducted their first spacewalk *together*]() yesterday. But both astronauts are spacewalk veterans. Williams, in fact, [set the new record]() as the woman with the most minutes in the vacuum of space on this most recent adventure; she even took part in a [previous spacewalk]() to conduct maintenance on the ISS just two weeks ago. In addition to all that blatantly inaccurate information, there are subtler errors in the article as well. Each *Quartz* AI post includes a list of citations at the very top, which in theory provides important context for readers. But instead, the bot mangles the credit by saying the piece "incorporates reporting" from a person named "Bill McEwen," linking back to a website called *GV Wire.* And while there is a Bill McEwen listed as an editor of *GV Wire,* the article itself is actually by the *Associated Press —* meaning it's the *AP's* reporting, which should have been given the credit, instead of slapping the name of a random employee on it. (That *AP* article, by the way, seems to be where the error about the "first" spacewalk came from; the *Quartz* AI basically stole it and took out the word "together," rendering it no longer accurate.) In other words, from top to bottom, this article is a confident-sounding mess of AI slop. And though the website does include a wretched disclaimer at the foot of each AI-spun article noting that the AI is "experimental" and will probably make mistakes, it forces the question: what purpose does this thing really serve that doesn't outweigh the reputational harm it's incurring? In reality, it's obviously a traffic play. G/O's executives want clicks, and they don't care if they're spreading blatant misinformation to get them. In their mind, throwing other people's journalism into a woodchipper and publishing whatever paraphrased chum comes out the other side is a viable business strategy. If that sounds unfair, remember that this is just the latest of many attempts by G/O to push AI products onto its [various websites](), which have repeatedly ended in [preventable, embarrassing errors]() and incurred rage by the company's human journalists. As [those human employees have made very clear](), the staff at G/O publications want to do journalism — and, in turn, do right by readers. We reached to G/O Media with questions, but haven't heard back. **More on Quartz's AI:** [*Quartz Is Publishing AI-Generated Articles Based on Other AI Slop, Along With Warning They May Be Filled With 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]()