Microsoft has landed in hot water with The Guardian newspaper, as the tech giant’s news aggregation service featured an AI-generated poll speculating on the cause of a woman’s death alongside a news article from the publisher. The story in question reported on the tragic death of 21-year-old water polo coach Lilie James, who was discovered with severe head injuries at a Sydney school the previous week.
The poll, produced by an AI program, queried readers about their opinions on the cause of the woman’s death, offering three choices: murder, accident, or suicide. The poll has since been removed following a wave of negative reactions from readers, with some even calling for the termination of a Guardian reporter associated with the story, despite having no involvement with the poll.
Anna Bateson, the CEO of Guardian Media Group, voiced her concerns directly to Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, in a written letter. She highlighted the damage done to The Guardian’s journalistic integrity and emphasized the need for immediate action, calling for platforms like Microsoft to commit to prioritizing trustworthy information, ensuring fair compensation for licensed journalism, and increasing transparency and consumer protections concerning AI use.
She expressed that the event could have caused considerable distress to the family of James and resulted in “substantial harm to the organization’s standing,” while also tarnishing the credibility of the journalists responsible for the article.
“This is clearly an inappropriate use of genAI [generative AI] by Microsoft on a potentially distressing public interest story, originally written and published by Guardian journalists,” she wrote, before adding that “the important role that a strong copyright framework plays in enabling publishers to be able to negotiate the terms on which our journalism is used”.
According to The Guardian, Bateson asked for assurances from Smith that: Microsoft will not apply experimental AI technology on or alongside Guardian journalism without the news publisher’s approval; and Microsoft will always make it clear to users when AI tools are used to create additional units and features next to trusted news brands like the Guardian. Bateson said there was a “strong case” for Microsoft adding a note to the article taking responsibility for the poll.
The Guardian and the poll were both featured on Microsoft Start, a news aggregation platform. As of Tuesday morning, while the poll itself was no longer available, critical comments from readers remained visible online. Microsoft has been approached for a response to the incident.
