The Chicago Sun-Times is facing backlash after publishing a summer reading list containing fake books imagined by AI and attributed to real authors. Apparently, no one bothered to try to read the books on the summer reading list.
Ars Technica reports that in a recent blunder that has raised concerns about the use of AI in journalism, the Chicago Sun-Times published a summer reading list for 2025 that included numerous fake books attributed to well-known authors. The list, which appeared in a 64-page advertorial supplement called “Heat Index,” was created by freelancer Marco Buscaglia using an AI system. Out of the 15 recommended titles, only five were found to be real books, while the remaining ten were completely fabricated.
The incident came to light when novelist Rachael King called attention to the error on social media, sparking a wave of criticism and disbelief. The Chicago Sun-Times quickly responded, stating that it is investigating the matter and emphasizing that the content was not created or approved by their newsroom. The newspaper’s union, the Sun-Times Guild, also expressed disturbance at the inclusion of AI-generated content alongside the work of humans.
Buscaglia, the creator of the list, admitted to using AI for background information and failed to verify the material thoroughly. “I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses,” he said, taking full responsibility for the embarrassing mistake.
The fallout from the incident has been swift, with subscribers expressing their anger and disappointment on social media platforms. The episode has also raised concerns about the potential reputational harm to the Chicago Sun-Times, which has been struggling with financial issues and recently lost 20 percent of its staff through a buyout program.
The use of AI in journalism has been a topic of much debate, with proponents arguing that it can help streamline research and content creation, while critics warn of the dangers of relying too heavily on machine-generated information — especially systems that can “hallucinate” fake books for summer reading.
Read more at Ars Technica here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
