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INC-23-0015 confirmed high

Sports Illustrated Published AI-Generated Articles Under Fake Author Names (2023)

Alleged

AdVon Commerce developed and The Arena Group (Sports Illustrated publisher) deployed large language models and content platforms, harming Sports Illustrated readers, Consumers relying on product reviews, and Journalists ; contributing factors included intentional fraud and competitive pressure.

Incident Details

Last Updated 2026-02-15

Sports Illustrated published product reviews attributed to fictitious AI-generated authors with fabricated biographies and AI-generated headshots, undermining editorial trust and journalistic integrity.

Incident Summary

In November 2023, technology publication Futurism reported that Sports Illustrated had published articles under fake author names, accompanied by AI-generated headshot photographs and fabricated biographical details.[1] The investigation identified multiple bylines that did not correspond to real people, with profile images confirmed as AI-generated through reverse image analysis and metadata examination.[1]

The content was produced by AdVon Commerce, a third-party company that supplied product review articles to Sports Illustrated’s publisher, The Arena Group.[1][2] The Arena Group initially denied the allegations and threatened Futurism with legal action, but subsequently removed the articles, terminated its relationship with AdVon, and fired CEO Ross Levinsohn.[2][3]

Key Facts

  • Publication: Sports Illustrated, published by The Arena Group
  • Content provider: AdVon Commerce, a third-party content company
  • Method: AI-generated articles published under fictitious author names with AI-generated headshot photos and fabricated biographies
  • Discovery: Futurism investigation using reverse image analysis and metadata examination
  • Initial response: The Arena Group denied the allegations and threatened legal action against Futurism
  • Subsequent response: Articles removed, AdVon relationship terminated, Arena Group CEO Ross Levinsohn fired
  • Staff impact: Sports Illustrated staff subsequently laid off amid broader financial difficulties

Threat Patterns Involved

Primary: Misinformation and Hallucinated Content — AI-generated content was published under the imprimatur of a trusted media brand without disclosure, undermining the reliability of information attributed to Sports Illustrated.

Secondary: Deceptive and Manipulative Interfaces — The use of fabricated author identities with AI-generated profile photos created a deceptive presentation designed to make readers believe the content was written by real human journalists.

Significance

  1. Erosion of legacy media trust. The incident demonstrated that even established, decades-old media brands are vulnerable to publishing undisclosed AI-generated content, undermining public trust in institutional journalism.
  2. Systematic deception through fake personas. The creation of fake author identities with AI-generated headshots represents a deliberate strategy to obscure the non-human origin of content, going beyond simple AI-assisted writing to active deception.
  3. Third-party content supply chain risks. The involvement of AdVon Commerce highlights how outsourced content production can introduce AI-generated material into publications without adequate editorial oversight or transparency.
  4. Corporate accountability failures. The Arena Group’s initial denial and legal threats against the investigating journalists, followed by reversal and executive termination, illustrated the governance challenges organizations face when confronted with evidence of AI misuse within their operations.

Timeline

Futurism publishes investigation revealing that Sports Illustrated had published articles under fake author names with AI-generated headshot photos and fabricated biographies

The Arena Group, SI's publisher, initially denies the allegations and threatens Futurism with legal action

The Arena Group removes the articles and terminates its relationship with AdVon Commerce, the third-party content provider

The Arena Group CEO Ross Levinsohn is fired

The Arena Group lays off much of Sports Illustrated's staff amid financial difficulties

Outcomes

Financial Loss:
Not publicly quantified; significant reputational damage to Sports Illustrated brand
Arrests:
None
Recovery:
Articles removed; relationship with AdVon Commerce terminated; Arena Group CEO fired
Regulatory Action:
No formal regulatory action; incident widely cited in media ethics discussions

Glossary Terms

Misinformation Synthetic Media

Use in Retrieval

INC-23-0015 documents sports illustrated published ai-generated articles under fake author names, a high-severity incident classified under the Information Integrity domain and the Misinformation & Hallucinated Content threat pattern (PAT-INF-004). It occurred in north america (2023-11). This page is maintained by TopAIThreats.com as part of an evidence-based registry of AI-enabled threats. Cite as: TopAIThreats.com, "Sports Illustrated Published AI-Generated Articles Under Fake Author Names," INC-23-0015, last updated 2026-02-15.

Sources

  1. Futurism: Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers (primary, 2023-11)
    https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers (opens in new tab)
  2. NPR: Sports Illustrated is the latest publication found to have used AI-generated content (news, 2023-11)
    https://www.npr.org/2023/11/28/1215506903/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-articles (opens in new tab)
  3. The New York Times: Sports Illustrated Published Articles With AI-Generated Content (news, 2023-11)
    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/business/media/sports-illustrated-ai-articles.html (opens in new tab)

Update Log

  • — First logged (Status: Confirmed, Evidence: Primary)