After publishing articles written by fake authors with AI-generated headshots and biographies, Sports Illustrated CEO Ross Levinsohn has been sacked by The Arena Group. The company, which owns Sports Illustrated, announced on Monday that it had terminated Levinsohn’s employment in an effort to “improve the operational efficiency and revenue of the company.”
The firing comes just two weeks after an investigative report published by Futurism exposed that Sports Illustrated had published articles written by fake authors with AI-generated headshots and biographies. Among the fake profiles uncovered was that of purported author “Sora Tanaka,” who claimed to be a product reviewer. However, it was revealed that Tanaka is not a real person.
The Arena Group denied the allegations and attributed the articles in question to third-party advertising company, AdVon Commerce. However, after investigating the matter, the company cut ties with AdVon and removed its content from Arena websites.
Levinsohn had previously indicated that Sports Illustrated would incorporate AI into its journalism, but stressed that it would never replace journalism. However, the recent scandal involving fake authors with AI-generated headshots and biographies has resulted in Levinsohn’s termination, along with other executives at the company.
The Arena Group named Manoj Bhargava as the interim chief executive following Levinsohn’s sacking. Bhargava is the founder of the company behind the 5-Hour Energy Drink product.
The company’s decision to terminate Levinsohn’s employment and other executives comes as a result of an effort to address the AI scandal and improve the overall performance and revenue of the company.