Chicago newspaper prints a summer reading list. The problem? The books don't exist

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2025 4:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 43 minutes ago

Good luck picking up the books connected an unofficial summertime speechmaking list from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Hoping to delve into the "multigenerational saga" Tidewater Dreams by Isabel Allende, for instance? Keep dreaming. Maybe a science-driven communicative similar Andy Weir's The Last Algorithm is much to your taste? The algorithm can't assistance you.

OK then, however astir Min Jin Lee's "riveting communicative acceptable successful Seoul's underground economy," Nightshade Market? Sorry — each you're going to find is shade.

That's because, portion the authors whitethorn beryllium real, the books don't really exist. And the Chicago Sun-Times is being roasted online for publishing the AI-generated list. The paper initially couldn't explicate however the portion was published.

"We are looking into however this made it into people arsenic we speak. It is not editorial contented and was not created by, oregon approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom. We worth your spot successful our reporting and instrumentality this precise seriously. More info volition beryllium provided soon," the Chicago Sun-Times wrote connected the societal media level Bluesky connected Tuesday morning.

In a connection to CBC News, Chicago Sun-Times spokesperson Victor Lim further explained that the insert was "licensed editorial contented from King Features, a portion of Hearst, that was not created by, oregon approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom."

"But it is unacceptable for immoderate contented we supply to our readers to beryllium inaccurate," helium added.

King Features is an American contented producer. Lim explained that the paper has historically relied connected contented partners for broader sum beyond their chiefly section scope, but "given caller developments, it's wide we indispensable actively measure caller processes and partnerships." 

In a connection to CBC News, The Sun-Times Guild — the national that represents editorial employees astatine the newspaper — confirmed that the summertime usher was a syndicated conception produced externally "without the cognition of the members of our newsroom."

"We're profoundly disturbed that AI-generated contented was printed alongside our work. The information that it was sixty-plus pages of this 'content' is precise concerning — chiefly for our narration with our assemblage but besides for our union's jurisdiction," the guild wrote.

"Our members spell to large lengths to physique spot with our sources and communities and are horrified by this slop syndication. Our readers signed up for enactment that has been vigorously reported and fact-checked, and we hatred the thought that our ain insubstantial could dispersed computer- oregon third-party-generated misinformation. We telephone connected Chicago Public Media absorption to bash everything it tin to forestall repeating this catastrophe successful the future."

Real authors, fake books

On Tuesday morning, societal media users started sharing a "Heat Index" insert from the Chicago Sun-Times dated May 18. Included successful the scale was a "Summer speechmaking database for 2025," described arsenic "15 titles, caller and old, that committedness to present the cleanable summertime escape."

The problem, arsenic readers were speedy to constituent out, is that most of the books successful the database are fake.

"Of the books named connected this speechmaking list, Brit Bennett, Isabel Allende, Andy Weir, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Min Jin Lee, Rumaan Alam, Rebecca Makkai, Maggie O'Farrell, Percival Everett, and Delia Owens' titles are each books that DO NOT EXIST!!!" wrote Bluesky idiosyncratic Bracken MacLeod.

Indeed, a speedy hunt of the 15 books successful the database amusement that 9 simply bash not exist. Chilean-American writer Allende, for instance, has written dozens of books, but nary of them are called Tidewater Dreams. (CBC News couldn't find immoderate fictional publication with that title, successful fact.)

Lee has been internationally lauded for her books Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko (a finalist for The National Book Award), but has not written thing called Nightshade Market (nor has anyone else, from what CBC News tin tell).

Fans of bestseller Taylor Jenkins Reid, who besides appears connected the list, could easy archer you the writer of hits like Daisy Jones & the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has ne'er written thing called The Collector's Piece.

The publication credited to Maggie O'Farrell, Migrations, appears by its statement to beryllium authored by Charlotte McConaghy.

There are a few books called Salt and Honey, the 10th publication connected the list, but it's not written by bestselling writer Delia Owens, and nary of the books called Salt and Honey are really "set successful the brackish flats of Utah," arsenic the insert says.

Only the past 4 books connected the list of 15 are real, and penned by the close authors.

But … how?

According to tech journalism company 404 Media, the database was generated by Marco Buscaglia, a Chicago-based writer, contented strategist and teacher. He confirmed that it was astatine slightest partially generated by AI.

"I bash usage AI for inheritance astatine times but ever cheque retired the worldly first. This time, I did not and I can't judge I missed it, because it's truthful obvious. No excuses," helium told 404 Media. "On maine 100 per cent and I'm wholly embarrassed."

Some societal media users person said it appears different articles successful the Heat Index whitethorn person besides been AI-generated, pointing to experts who don't look to exist. For instance, screenshots of an nonfiction called "Summer nutrient trends" quotes a nutrient anthropologist named Catherine Furst of Cornell University, who can't beryllium recovered connected the internet.

Another screenshot of an article astir "campus hammock culture" appears to punctuation a prof of leisure studies who also, evidently, can't beryllium traced online. 

AI tin marque mistakes. They're called hallucinations — errors that hap erstwhile the strategy lacks capable context.

The New York Times reported earlier this period that AI hallucinations are getting worse alternatively of better, producing incorrect accusation much often arsenic "AI bots tied to hunt engines similar Google and Bing sometimes make hunt results that are laughably wrong."

'A learning moment'

This besides isn't the archetypal clip media outlets person travel nether occurrence for utilizing AI-generated content. Sports Illustrated, for instance, made headlines successful 2023 for reportedly utilizing AI-generated authors. News outlet CNET had to contented a fig of large corrections that aforesaid twelvemonth aft utilizing AI to assistance constitute its stories.

And who tin hide the clip an allegedly AI-generated Microsoft nonfiction recommended the "beautiful" Ottawa Food Bank arsenic a touristy luncheon spot?

As NPR reports, the Sun-Times' fake summertime speechmaking database was published 2 months aft the insubstantial announced 20 per cent of its unit had accepted buyouts.

In an authoritative connection connected its website Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago Sun-Times said the contented spouse confirmed that a freelancer had utilized AI to constitute the article, and that this "should beryllium a learning infinitesimal for each of journalism that our enactment is valued."

The nonfiction is being removed from integer editions, according to the statement, which acknowledged the database was published successful different newspapers. It said that the paper was updating its policies to "ensure that each specified third-party licensed editorial contented meets the aforesaid editorial standards arsenic contented we make ourselves."

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