---
title: "Robot Journalist Accused of Racism"
description: "The artificial intelligence system Microsoft uses to post articles to MSN recently confused two women of color, showing how algorithmic bias is happening."
date: "2020-06-09"
modified: "2020-06-09"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/robot-journalist-accused-racism"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
tags:
  - "algorithmic bias"
  - "artificial intelligence"
  - "microsoft"
  - "the digest"
---

# Robot Journalist Accused of Racism

![The artificial intelligence system Microsoft uses to post articles to MSN recently confused two women of color, showing how algorithmic bias is happening.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/robot-journalist-accused-racism.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Algorithmic Bias

Shortly after Microsoft announced it was laying off scores of journalists across its news divisions and replacing them with [news-skimming artificial intelligence](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/msn-fires-journalists-replaces-ai>), it's already in hot water after a clear example of racial algorithmic bias.

The algorithm doesn't do any original reporting. Instead, it finds articles on the internet and populates *MSN* with them. Recently, it confused two women of color from the band Little Mix with each other, *[The Guardian ](<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/09/microsofts-robot-journalist-confused-by-mixed-race-little-mix-singers>)*[reports](<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/09/microsofts-robot-journalist-confused-by-mixed-race-little-mix-singers>), attaching an image of Leigh-Anne Pinnock to an article about singer Jade Thirlwall.

It's an unfortunate illustration of how [racism continues to persist](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-hate-speech-ai-biased>) within AI algorithms, which [are notoriously bad](<https://futurism.com/microsoft-announces-tool-catch-biased-ai>) at recognizing people of color.

## Cruel Irony

In a horrible, ironic twist, [the article](<https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/jade-thirlwall-little-mix-race-bbc-sounds-podcast-a9543711.html>) that Microsoft's AI bungled so horribly was about the racist bullying that Thirlwall endured as one of just three people of color in her Catholic school.

"This shit happens to \[Pinnock\] and I ALL THE TIME that it's become a running joke," Thirlwall wrote on Instagram about the mixup. "It offends me that you couldn’t differentiate the two women of colour out of four members of a group … DO BETTER!"

## Damage Control

A Microsoft spokesperson told *The Guardian* that the image was replaced as soon as the company learned of the error, but didn't comment on the underlying problem of racial bias by its newsroom AI.

Instead, remaining *MSN* staffers have reportedly been instructed to do damage control: *The* Guardian reports that they were told monitor the site for any embarrassing articles about the AI incident and take them down.

**READ MORE:** [Microsoft's robot editor confuses mixed-race Little Mix singers](<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/09/microsofts-robot-journalist-confused-by-mixed-race-little-mix-singers>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on newsroom AI:**[ *MSN Fires Journalists, Replaces Them With AI*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/msn-fires-journalists-replaces-ai>)

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)