Highlights
1. The Guardian is upset with Microsoft over an error in their AI-generated poll feature, which attached an inappropriate poll to a news article about a woman’s death.
2. Readers blamed the article’s writers for the poll, but it was actually the fault of Microsoft.
3. The Guardian removed the poll and accused Microsoft of damaging their reputation, leading the Guardian Media Group’s CEO to write to Microsoft about the issue.
4. Following complaints, Microsoft has removed AI-generated polls from their search platform for news articles.
## The Guardian Accuses Microsoft of Damaging Reputation with AI Poll Feature
The Guardian is criticizing Microsoft after an AI-generated poll attached itself to a tragic news article about a woman’s death on their website. Users were given insensitive options to choose from regarding the cause of her death. Readers blamed the writers, but Microsoft is mostly responsible. Many expressed their disgust in the comment section. The Guardian removed the poll, but the damage was already done to their reputation.
Guardian Media Group’s CEO wrote to Microsoft, expressing their concerns about the poll. The article about the woman’s death was accompanied by a poll generated by AI, which asked users to speculate on the reason for her death. The options were murder, accident, and suicide. Users assumed the article’s writer created the poll, but it was actually a result of Microsoft’s AI feature.
The AI poll failed to show empathy, instead sorting users’ responses in a disheartening way. The Guardian took the criticism seriously and promptly removed the poll. They also sent a letter of complaint to Microsoft, raising their dissatisfaction with the AI-generated poll. This incident raises questions about Microsoft’s moderation of AI-generated content.
Following The Guardian’s complaints, Microsoft removed AI-generated polls for all news articles on their search platform. The company claimed that the poll was not meant to appear alongside The Guardian’s article. Instances like these contribute to the growing mistrust in AI technology across various aspects of life.
