Microsoft has taken down a series of travel articles that were created using a combination of AI-assisted “algorithmic techniques” and human review, following criticism for their bizarre and offensive content. Beyond their more inappropriate travel suggestions, the articles featured helpful tips such as informing readers that seafood is “any form of sea life regarded as food by humans.”
Business Insider reports that Microsoft recently removed a string of travel articles that contained embarrassing and offensive recommendations. The articles, published under the “Microsoft Travel” banner, were created using a mix of algorithmic techniques and human review. However, the company has faced backlash for the content of these articles, which included bizarre and inappropriate suggestions.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 01: Volunteers walk by boxes of tomatoes and watermelons at the SF-Marin Food Bank on May 1, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
One of the articles, titled “Headed to Ottawa? Here’s what you shouldn’t miss!” went viral after it bizarrely recommended visitors to the Canadian city to visit the Ottawa Food Bank and to “consider going into it on an empty stomach.” The article was widely shared on social media as an example of AI bungling content for humans. In response to the criticism, Microsoft issued a statement blaming human error for the content.
“This article has been removed and we have identified that the issue was due to human error,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “The article was not published by an unsupervised AI. We combine the power of technology with the experience of content editors to surface stories. In this case, the content was generated through a combination of algorithmic techniques with human review, not a large language model or AI system. We are working to ensure this type of content isn’t posted in future.”
Other articles in the series also contained questionable recommendations. An article about Montreal suggested trying a “hamburger” and listed McDonald’s Canada as a popular place to try one. Another article about Anchorage included “seafood” as a local delicacy and described it as “any form of sea life regarded as food by humans.” These articles have also been removed by Microsoft.
The incident has raised concerns about the potential for errors in AI-assisted content. Microsoft has been moving towards an AI-driven system for news aggregation, but the recent errors suggest that human oversight is still necessary to ensure the quality of the content.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan