May23

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

This Week in Schadenfreude: A Hair-Raising Blunder

We would bet that, right now, readers are looking for some good books to read this summer, when vacations take place, and when there's beach-going and poolside-sitting, and when work responsibilities might be a little bit less intense. In fact, if readers have a suggestion for a good book they've read lately (even if it's not a new book), consider sending them in to comments@electoral-vote.com, ideally with a paragraph or two or three explaining the book and the recommendation. If we get a good response, we'll run a series in June.

For the moment, however, The Chicago Sun-Times has you covered—at least, in a manner of speaking. The paper ran a 15-book "Summer Reading List for 2025" this past Sunday. Here are a few of the recommendations:

• "The Last Algorithm" by Andy Weir - Following his success with "The Martian" and "Project Hail Mary," Weir delivers another science-driven thriller. This time, the story follows a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness—and has been secretly influencing global events for years.
  
  
• "Hurricane Season" by Brit Bennett - Bennett, who captivated readers with "The Vanishing Half" powerfully explores family bonds tested by natural disasters. When a Cat 5 hurricane forces estranged siblings to shelter together in their childhood home, long suppressed tensions emerge alongside unexpected reconciliations.
  
  
• "The Collector's Piece" by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Reid continues her exploration of fame with this story of a reclusive art collector and the journalist determined to uncover the truth behind his most controversial acquisition. Expect the same compelling character development that made "Daisy Jones & The Six" a hit.

The good news is that these are all real authors. The bad news is that these (and all but five of the rest) are fake books. They do not exist; they were made up by an AI bot (which makes the Weir recommendation a little worrisome; did the Matrix accidentally glitch?).

The Sun-Times has run numerous op-eds and editorials warning about the risks posed by AI. For example, this piece from July of 2023, in which contributor Anjana Susarla observes:

As a researcher of social media and AI, I recognize the immensely transformative potential of generative AI models, but I believe that these systems pose risks. In particular, in the context of consumer protection, these models can produce errors, exhibit biases and violate personal data privacy.

Perhaps the Sun-Times' editors don't read their own editorial pages.

We understand full well that it's a tough time for journalism, and in particular for print journalism. But we have made very clear we don't approve of AI as a solution, especially when it is not clearly identified as such (and it almost never is). That is an act of extreme dishonesty, and the Sun-Times just got caught with its hand in the cookie jar. One can only hope they do better going forward, and commit to content that is produced by, you know, human beings.

P.S.: If we do end up running book recommendations, we can assure you they will be written by real people. (Z)