Amid the AI boom in 2022, CNET started using the technology to write some articles — and eventually faced criticism and removed part of the materials due to a large number of errors and plagiarism.
In view of this, Wikipedia downgraded CNET’s rating on a separate page with a list of «reliable sources of information», the report says Futurism.
«CNET, generally considered a reliable technical source, has begun to experiment with running AI-generated articles that are riddled with errors», — wrote Wikipedia editor David Gerard. «Any of these articles that end up in Wikipedia articles should be removed».
Currently, Wikipedia’s Reliable Sources page contains three entries for CNET, divided into three time periods:
Futurism notes that the issue with CNET’s AI-generated content has also sparked a broader discussion in the Wikipedia community at large about the reliability of Red Ventures-owned sources such as Bankrate and CreditCards.com. These sites published AI-generated content around the same time period as CNET. The editors also criticized Red Ventures for the lack of information about where and how AI was implemented, which further undermined the credibility of the company’s publications.
In response to the downgrade and the controversy surrounding AI-generated content, CNET issued a statement claiming that the site maintains high editorial standards:
«CNET is the world’s largest provider of unbiased, technology-focused news and advice. We’ve been trusted for nearly 30 years because of our rigorous editorial and product review standards. It is important to clarify that CNET does not actively use artificial intelligence to create new content. While we do not have specific plans, any future initiatives will be accompanied by our public policy on AI».