Guardian Newspaper Demands Compensation from Microsoft Over 'Crass' AI-Generated Poll on Death Story

Microsoft Faces Backlash for Placing Insensitive AI-Generated Poll On Article Regarding Woman's Death; The Guardian Claims Significant Reputational Damage and Demands Assurances Against Future Misuse of AI Technology.

Microsoft is facing severe backlash for placing an insensitive AI-generated poll on the Guardian's article regarding a woman's death. The poll, which appeared on Microsoft's news aggregation platform, asked readers to speculate on the cause of the woman’s death given three options: murder, accident, and suicide.
The poll led to significant reputational damage to the Guardian, with readers expressing anger and criticizing the newspaper under the impression that it was responsible for the distasteful poll. The incident also triggered discussions about the ethics and risks of using AI in news publishing and user engagement.
Guardian Media Group's CEO, Anna Bateson, in a letter to Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, demanded compensation, saying that the AI-generated poll was not only potentially distressing for the deceased woman's family but also detrimental to the credibility and trust reposed in the Guardian's journalism.
Bateson has requested Microsoft to not apply experimental technologies such as AI on or alongside Guardian's articles without permission and to clearly label any use of AI. She also asked for assurances that a similar incident would not happen in the future.
This controversy follows several other instances where Microsoft's implementation of AI in content generation has led to controversies. Despite previous issues, Microsoft continues to replace human editorial roles with AI processes, prompting concerns over the automation of sensitive content.