AI-Generated Book List Appears In Philadelphia Inquirer: Reports

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Inquirer published a syndicated summer reading list, recently.

The problem with the list? Ten of the 15 recommended summer reads are not real.

According to journalism research organization the Poynter Institute, the Inquirer and Chicago Sun Times ran the same list.

The bogus list ended up in at least one edition of the Inquirer, according to NPR.

Axios reports the list appeared in the Inquirer on May 15.

While the authors on the list are real, many of their "works" were not.

In fact, 404 Media reports a writer named Marco Buscaglia created the list and said it was partly generated by AI and supplied by King Features, which is a subsidiary of Hearst Newspapers.

Authors who have fake titles on the list include Percival Everett, Isabel Allende, and Andy Weir.

Some real titles on the list are "Bonjour Tristesse" by Françoise Sagan and "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter.

The Inquirer addressed the list Tuesday.

Inquirer Editor and Senior Vice President Gabriel Escobar said using the AI content was a violation of the publication's internal policies. He went on to say no Inquirer staff were involved in including the supplemental content in its edition.