The Chicago Sun-Times, a daily non-profit newspaper owned by Chicago Public Media, published a “summer reading list” featuring wholly fabricated books — the result of broadcasting unverified AI slop in its pages.
An image of a “Summer reading list for 2025” was first shared to Instagram by a book podcaster who goes by Tina Books and was circulated on Bluesky by the novelist Rachael King. The newspaper’s title and the date of the page’s publication are visible in the page’s header.
The page was included in a 64-page “Best of Summer” feature, and as the author, Marco Buscaglia, told 404 Media, it was generated using AI.
“I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first,” Buscaglia told 404 Media. “This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses.”
“On me 100 percent and I’m completely embarrassed,” he added.
At first glance, the list is unassuming.
“Whether you’re lounging by the pool, relaxing on sandy shores or enjoying the longer daylight hours in your favorite reading spot,” reads the list’s introduction, “these 15 titles — new and old — promise to deliver the perfect summer escape.”
The book titles themselves are unassuming, too. The newspaper recommends titles like the ethereal-sounding “Tidewater Dreams,” which it says was written by the Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende; “The Last Algorithm,” purported to be a new sci-fi thriller by Andy Weir; and “The Collector’s Piece,” said to be written by the writer Taylor Jenkins Reid about a “reclusive art collector and the journalist determined to uncover the truth behind his most controversial acquisition.”
But as we independently confirmed, though these authors are real and well-known, these books are entirely fake — as are several others listed on the page. Indeed: the first ten out of all fifteen titles listed in the Sun-Times list either don’t exist at all, or the titles are real, but weren’t written by the author that the Sun-Times attributes them to.
Fabrications like made-up citations are commonplace in AI-generated content, and a known risk of using generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
We reached out to the Sun-Times and its owner, Chicago Public Media, which notably also owns the beloved National Public Radio station WBEZ Chicago. In an email, a spokesperson emphasized that the content wasn’t created or approved by the Sun-Times newsroom and that the paper was actively investigating.
“We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak,” read the email. “This is licensed content that was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom, but it is unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate. We value our readers’ trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon as we investigate.”
This was echoed by Buscaglia, who told 404 Media that the content was created to be part of a “promotional special section” not specifically targeted to Chicago.
“It’s supposed to be generic and national,” Buscaglia told 4o4 Media. “We never get a list of where things ran.”
This wouldn’t be the first time AI has been used to create third-party content and published without AI disclosures by journalistic institutions, as Futurism’s investigation last year into AdVon Commerce revealed.
Readers are understandably upset and demanding answers.
“How did the editors at the Sun-Times not catch this? Do they use AI consistently in their work?” reads a Reddit post to r/Chicago about the scandal. “As a subscriber, I am livid!”
“What is the point of subscribing to a hard copy paper,” the poster continued, “if they are just going to include AI slop too!?”
“I just feel an overwhelming sense of sadness this morning over this?” University of Minnesota Press editorial director Jason Weidemann wrote in a Bluesky post. “There are thousands of struggling writers out there who could write a brilliant summer reads feature and should be paid to do so.”
“Pay humans to do things for fuck’s sake,” he added.
Updated with a statement from Chicago Public Media.
More on AI and journalism: Scammers Stole the Website for Emerson College’s Student Radio Station and Started Running It as a Zombie AI Farm
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