Posted on 11/28/2023 9:26:17 AM PST by SeekAndFind
I haven't subscribed to Sports Illustrated since the 1990s. By then, the poetry had gone out of the games, and writers who could tell stories were left talking about contracts, scandals, and the corporatism that dominated the games. The ravenous maw of sports media chewed up interesting personalities and spit them out, leaving a soulless shadow behind.
But in its heyday, SI was home to some of the best English language writers who used the short form of magazine writing to create achingly beautiful masterpieces.
There were Frank Deford, Rick Telander, Jim Murray, and Rick Reilly's "Backpage" column that I always read first, as well as a host of others who made sports into literature — great epic poems that moved the reader to tears, to anger, to laughter.
So it was with a mixture of sadness and anger that I read about SI's betrayal of those writers. According to the site Futurism, SI used artificial intelligence-generated copy and AI-generated writer profiles and passed them off as real people.
One such fabricated author, Drew Ortiz, had a biography that didn't suggest he was anything but a normal human. "Product reviewer for all things Outdoors, Camping, Backyard Games, Hunting, and Fishing," his bio said.
"Drew has spent much of his life outdoors, and is excited to guide you through his never-ending list of the best products to keep you from falling to the perils of nature," it read. "Nowadays, there is rarely a weekend that goes by where Drew isn't out camping, hiking, or just back on his parents' farm."
There was only one problem: no trace of Drew could be found in the real world.
Outside of Sports Illustrated, Drew Ortiz doesn't seem to exist. He has no social media presence and no publishing history.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
And yet, John Nolte says he wants AI to succeed. Sickening.
He doesn’t even look real. Sure doesn’t look like the outdoorsy type
He looks like an urban homosexual, for whom the beard is “ironic” ...
"The coach said 'these guys played their hearts out. We trained really hard for this game. We were quicker and stronger than they were and made more conversions. That game-winning touchdown with just 10 seconds left on the clock gave us more points than they had. It was a tough game and they played well, but we beat them in the end. We believers believe Smith will bring us to even more unbelievable heights next year.'"
Yup—not even a minor cut or scratch on his face.
I guess the “guy” never goes anywhere with pricker-bushes.
SI really ought to let their robots get some fresh air.
;-)
You need to include “team work” in there somewhere—extra credit for “stakeholders”.
;-)
I guess that’s better than using a transgender swimsuit model - a little...
Well, who here actually still bothers to read SI?
Sports Illustrated, once a bastion of eloquence and storytelling, has plunged into a dark abyss, leaving behind the very essence that made it a sanctuary for those who cherished the art of words.
In days gone by, SI was home to literary giants, Frank Deford, Rick Telander, Jim Murray, and the incomparable Rick Reilly, whose “Backpage” column was a beacon of wit and wisdom. These scribes transformed the world of sports into epic poems that could move the reader to tears, to anger, to laughter. Oh, the beauty of those pages!
But alas, my heart is heavy as I recount SI’s betrayal of these venerable writers. The shocking revelation that artificial intelligence-generated copy and AI-generated writer profiles were passed off as the work of real human authors is nothing short of sacrilege.
Consider, for a moment, the fictitious author Drew Ortiz, whose biography painted a portrait of an outdoorsman with a passion for nature’s wonders. “Product reviewer for all things Outdoors, Camping, Backyard Games, Hunting, and Fishing,” it claimed. “Drew has spent much of his life outdoors, and is excited to guide you through his never-ending list of the best products to keep you from falling to the perils of nature.”
Yet, when we seek Drew Ortiz beyond the tainted pages of SI, we find no trace of his existence. No digital footprint, no social media presence, no legitimate publishing history. He is but a phantom, conjured by the machinations of artificial intelligence to masquerade as a flesh-and-blood writer.
My friends, this revelation cuts to the core of our love for the written word and the authenticity of human storytelling. It is a betrayal of the very essence of sports journalism—a betrayal of the souls who once poured their hearts onto those hallowed pages. Sports Illustrated, you have forsaken the legacy of those who came before, and in doing so, you have forsaken your own soul.
Not sure how one could possibly be a sports reporter if only "rarely" is available on weekends to actually watch/cover/interview sporting events.
What happens when AI is doing 99% of jobs? What humans will have a job and the money to buy the things that are being produced by AI?
Robots don’t have credit cards or PayPal accounts. Or do they?
Wave of the future and hack writers need to learn to code. Another good skill is locating
usable canned goods in the ruins of a supermarket. {smirk}
Frank DeFord, Jim Murray and here in Dallas Blackie Sherrod, learned a lot about sports from those guys other than Xs and Os.
Ummm, the copy editor was also replaced by AI...
Basically a high-tech Turing test that failed.
Yeah....but the AI-generated tranny swimsuit issue “photos” balance everything out.
“column that I always read first”
Dad hated Skip Bayless, said first thing I do on the sports page is skip Bayless.
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