‘HIDDEN GEM’

BuzzFeed’s AI-Generated Articles Are Incredibly Cringe

The site has quietly put Buzzy the AI bot to work writing dozens of articles, mostly travel guides, all with starkly similar wording.

BuzzFeed has quietly put its AI to work writing full-fledged articles for the site, and the work is as just derivative as you’d expect, Futurism reports. Earlier this year, CEO Jonah Peretti told CNN that AI wouldn’t be used “for cost savings and spamming out a bunch of SEO articles that are lower quality than what a journalist could do, but a tenth of the cost.” However, that’s exactly what BuzzFeed appears to be using it for. BuzzFeed has used AI to write about 40 travel guides under the name Buzzy, each starkly similar to the next. “Now, I know what you’re thinking - ‘Cape May? What is that, some kind of mayonnaise brand’” one article about Cape May reads. “Now, I know what you’re thinking. Puerto Rico? Isn’t that where all the cruise ships go?” an article about Puerto Rico reads. The bot reuses words and phrases like its artificial life depends on it, and is a big fan of labeling travel spots a “hidden gem.” That’s a stark contrast from Peretti’s initial argument that BuzzFeed’s AI use would be “more personalized, more creative, more dynamic.” Meanwhile, BuzzFeed can’t even be bothered to have its actual journalists work on these articles, instead letting Buzzy the AI bot collaborate with employees in client partnerships and other non-editorial positions—and it shows.