Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Washington Post Faces Internal Backlash Over Error-Filled AI Podcasts

Editors are pressing for guardrails after the experimental feature produced fabricated quotes and unsanctioned commentary.

Overview

  • The Post launched a mobile app feature this week that assembles personalized audio briefings with selectable topics, hosts, and lengths, with plans to integrate Ask The Post AI.
  • Within 48 hours, staff testing flagged problems including misattributed or invented quotes, inserted editorial framing, and frequent pronunciation errors.
  • Head of standards Karen Pensiero told colleagues the output was "frustrating for all of us," while some editors urged pulling the tool immediately in internal Slack messages.
  • A spokesperson declined to discuss internal deliberations and pointed to product chief Bailey Kattleman’s description of the podcasts as "an experimental product in a lot of ways."
  • Testers also noted simulated speech tics like "ums" and prolonged pauses, and although the feature remains live, its rollout has intensified internal scrutiny and calls for clear accuracy guardrails.