Overview
- The New York Times cut ties with freelancer Alex Preston after Monday’s editors’ note confirmed he used an AI tool that introduced language from a Guardian review.
- A reader spotted the similarities, and the Times notified The Guardian and added a link to its review in the note.
- Preston apologized, saying an AI tool inserted overlapping lines and that he had not used AI in his earlier Times reviews, which the paper said showed no issues.
- Reporting documented near-verbatim echoes, including the phrase “lazy, Machiavellian Stefano” and closely matched closing lines describing the book’s setting.
- The incident adds to growing scrutiny of AI in newsrooms, as recent missteps show these tools can blend others’ work or invent details that evade standard edits.