The summer reading list was published in major newspapers

The Chicago Sun-Times, Pulitzer Prize Winner Gabino Iglesias, and the Future of Summer Book Recommendations

The Pulitzer winner never wrote a book called “The Rainmakers,” which was supposedly set in a future where rain has become a luxury commodity.

Some newspapers around the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and at least one edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer have published a syndicated summer book list that includes made-up books by famous authors.

“How many full-time book reviewers are there in the U.S.?” was the question posed by author and NPR Books contributor Gabino Iglesias, who created a fake book list. He said it was very few.

The May 18th issue of the Chicago Sun-Times features dozens of pages of recommended summer activities: new trends, outdoor activities, and books to read. There are some recommendations that point to fake, Artificial Intelligence-generated books as well as people who don’t appear to exist.

The Sun-Times noted in a post on Bluesky that it wasn’t editorial content and didn’t come from the newsroom. Victor Lim, senior director of audience development, said in an email that it was unacceptable for any content to be inaccurate and that more information would be provided soon. It’s not clear if the content is sponsored — the cover page for the section bears the Sun-Times logo and simply calls it “Your guide to the best of summer.”

On Bluesky, author, former librarian and Book Riot editor Kelly Jensen laments, “This is the future of book recommendations when libraries are defunded and dismantled. The professionals were removed in exchange for the garbage.

xxxlovelit is a subscriber and writes on the site. “What is the point of subscribing to a hard copy paper if they are just going to include AI slop too!?”

The list has no byline. But writer Marco Buscaglia has claimed responsibility for it and says it was partly generated by Artificial Intelligence, as first reported by the website 404 Media. Buscaglia writes to NPR that his mistake has nothing to do with the Sun-Times. I betrayed the trust that they had in me because the content they buy is accurate. It’s on me 100 percent.”

The content of the list was part of the licensed content from King Features, a unit of the publisher.

A Realist’s Comment on a Summer Reading List: Nightshade Market, Natural Intelligence, and the Making-Up Books

Dandelion Wine, Beautiful Ruins, and Bonjour Tristesse were all written by Ray Bradbury, who hated computers.

There are fake books on a summer reading list. Min Jin Lee is a real, lauded novelist — but “Nightshade Market,” “a riveting tale set in Seoul’s underground economy,” isn’t one of her works. The article states that the fake book is about a climate scientist who has a teenage daughter turn on her.

Marco Buscaglia is credited for several pieces in the summer guide, though the book list appears without a byline. Several experts and publications don’t appear to be real but Buscaglia’s byline appears on a story about hammock culture in the US. I couldn’t find this article from Outside magazine, but it does refer to a real author and blogger named Brianna Madia. I couldn’t find the outdoor industry market analysis that was cited in the piece online. The University of Colorado’s professor of leisure studies who doesn’t appear to exist is also quoted. Buscaglia told 404 Media he usesArtificial Intelligence for background at times and always checks the material.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times publishes made-up books and fake experts in AI debacle

Comment on Generated News and Artificial Intelligence in the 21st Century” by A.J. Furst, M.C.Fanst, and J.-C. Perrelman

“This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses,” he told 404. “On me 100 percent and I’m completely embarrassed.”

Another uncredited article titled “Summer food trends” features similar seemingly nonexistent experts, including a “Dr. Catherine Furst, food anthropologist at Cornell University.” Padma Lakshmi is also attributed in the piece for a quote she doesn’t appear to have said.

News outlets often use third-party content creators as scapegoats for the issue with artificial intelligence-generated content. High-profile incidents of AI-generated content at Gannett and Sports Illustrated raised questions about the editorial process, and in both cases, a third-party marketing firm was behind the AI sludge. Newsrooms’ defense is typically that they had nothing to do with the content — but the appearance of AI-generated work alongside real reporting and writing by human staffers damages trust all the same.