The Los Angeles Times removed its new artificial intelligence feature from one of its articles on Tuesday — only 24 hours following its debut — after it shared a perspective downplaying the Ku Klux Klan’s racist history.
“Local historical accounts occasionally frame the 1920s Klan as a product of ‘white Protestant culture’ responding to societal changes rather than an explicitly hate-driven movement, minimizing its ideological threat,” the AI-generated note read.
The note was added by “Insights,” the name of the Times’ new AI tool, to a Feb. 25 article on the 100th anniversary of Anaheim removing KKK members from its city council. Writer Gustavo Arellano said the historical decision was an example of “how to combat tyranny and white supremacy — and also that the work is never really done.”
It added another bullet point, saying “critics argue that focusing on past Klan influence distracts from Anaheim’s modern identity as a diverse city, with some residents claiming recent KKK rallies were isolated incidents unreflective of current values.”
A representative for the LA Times did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The Insights note was added to the story under a section titled “different views on the topic.”
A day earlier, LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said Insights would offer readers a quick way to see a “wide-range of different AI-enabled perspectives” that may differ from the point-of-view in a particular story.
“I believe providing more varied viewpoints supports our journalistic mission and will help readers navigate the issues facing this nation.”
Insights will be added to opinion stories and articles included in the Times’ “Voices” stories, which include news commentary, reviews and criticism. It will also show readers where a story falls on the political spectrum — spanning from the left, Center Left, Center, Center Right, and Right.
The tool’s political grades are being generated in partnership with Particle.news, a Bay Area-based AI company, and the Times’ is also using Perplexity AI to “identify the ideas expressed in a Voices article,” the paper said in its explainer on Monday.
Interestingly, Insights’ insights are not reviewed by editors or journalists before they are published, the Times said on Monday; reader feedback will be incorporated to produce “better, more accurate results over time,” LAT said on Monday — hinting that Insights was removed from the KKK story after reader outcry. Despite being pulled from Arellano’s article, Insights remains active on other Voices stories.
The New York Times’ Ryan Mac was the first reporter to spot the AI-generated KKK notes.
