Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer publish AI-generated fake books
The Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer published a summer reading list containing AI-generated fake book titles attributed to real authors. The content was supplied by King Features (Hearst) and included fabricated works with fake synopses, affecting the credibility of the newspapers' editorial recommendations.
What happened
The May 18, 2025 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times featured a summer reading list with dozens of pages of recommended activities, books, and articles. The list contained multiple fictitious book titles falsely attributed to real authors, including 'Tidewater Dreams' by Isabel Allende, 'Nightshade Market' by Min Jin Lee, and 'Boiling Point' by Rebecca Makkai. Of 15 titles reviewed, only five were real books.
The same content appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sun-Times stated the section was licensed from King Features, a unit of Hearst, described as the world's largest lifestyle publisher. The Sun-Times said in a post on Bluesky that the content was not approved or created by the newsroom.
Reported impact
Readers received inaccurate book recommendations presented as genuine summer reading suggestions. Victor Lim, senior director of audience development at the Sun-Times, stated it was 'unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate.'
Index analysis
The content was generated by a large language model that produced fabricated titles and nonexistent books attributed to real, established authors. The articles also quoted experts and cited publications that do not appear to exist.
Governance controls
The Sun-Times said it was removing the section from digital editions and updating its policies so that third-party content meets the paper's standards and is more clearly identified.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.