Trusted, sensitive journalism

Guardian accuses Microsoft of inserting ‘crass’ AI poll in story about woman’s death

The Guardian is demanding compensation from Microsoft after the tech giant inserted a “crass” AI-generated poll into one of its articles that asked readers to speculate on the cause of someone’s death.

Anna Bateson, chief executive of Guardian Media Group, said the use of AI was “deeply concerning” and called for discussions with a top Microsoft executive.

In a letter to Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft, she wrote: “Not only is this sort of application potentially distressing for the family of the individual who is the subject of the story, it is also deeply damaging to the Guardian’s hard-won reputation for trusted, sensitive journalism, and to the reputation of the individual journalists who wrote the original story.”


A problem with stories such as this is the notion of self-awareness - it doesn't work. The Guardian sells bias, which may be trusted and sensitive bias within the bias market, but as a significant media outfit it can't sell much else. 

Imagine chatting to a Guardian reader. Nothing would be gained by pointing out even the most blatant examples of bias. To be a Guardian reader is to be a buyer of its particular brand of bias. Bias can be branded, there is a market for it and the Guardian is a brand within that market. It is trusted bias.