HELENA, Mont. -- A quote from Wyoming's governor and a local prosecutor were the first things that seemed slightly off to Powell Tribune reporter CJ Baker. Then, it was some of the phrases in the stories that struck him as nearly robotic.

The decisive indicator, however, that a reporter from a rival news organization was using generative artificial intelligence to assist in his writing came in a June 26 article about the comedian Larry the Cable Guy being selected as the grand marshal of the Cody Stampede Parade.

“The 2024 Cody Stampede Parade promises to be an unforgettable celebration of American independence, led by one of comedy’s most beloved figures,” the Cody Enterprise reported. “This structure ensures that the most critical information is presented first, making it easier for readers to quickly comprehend the key points.”

After conducting an investigation, Baker, a veteran journalist with over 15 years of experience, met with Aaron Pelczar, a 40-year-old newcomer to journalism, who admitted to Baker that he had utilized AI in his articles before resigning from the Enterprise.

The publisher and editor of the Enterprise, co-founded in 1899 by Buffalo Bill Cody, have issued an apology and pledged to take measures to prevent a recurrence of this incident. In an editorial published on Monday, Enterprise Editor Chris Bacon acknowledged that he “failed to detect” the AI-generated content and fabricated quotes.

“It doesn't matter that the false quotes were a result of a hasty rookie reporter who relied on AI. It was my responsibility,” Bacon wrote. He apologized for allowing “AI to attribute words that were never spoken to individuals in our stories.”

Journalists have derailed their careers by making up quotes or facts in stories long before AI came about. But this latest scandal illustrates the potential pitfalls and dangers that AI poses to many industries, including journalism, as chatbots can spit out spurious if somewhat plausible articles with only a few prompts.

AI has established a presence in journalism, playing a role in automating specific tasks. Some news organizations, including The Associated Press, utilize AI to alleviate the workload of reporters, allowing them to focus on more impactful work. However, most AP staff members are prohibited from using generative AI to produce content for publication.

Since 2014, the AP has been employing technology to assist in articles covering financial earnings reports, and more recently in certain sports stories. They are also exploring the use of an AI tool for translating some stories from English to Spanish. A note explaining the role of technology in the production process is included at the end of each such story.

Being transparent about how and when AI is used has proven vital. Sports Illustrated faced criticism last year for publishing AI-generated online product reviews that were presented as being written by reporters who didn't actually exist. After the story came to light, SI said it was letting go of the company that produced the articles for its website, but the incident damaged the once-powerful publication's reputation.

In his Powell Tribune story revealing the news about Pelczar's use of AI in articles, Baker wrote that he had an uncomfortable but polite meeting with Pelczar and Bacon. During the meeting, Pelczar stated, “Obviously I’ve never intentionally tried to misquote anyone” and pledged to “correct them and issue apologies and say they are misstatements,” Baker wrote, noting that Pelczar insisted his mistakes shouldn’t reflect poorly on his Cody Enterprise editors.

Following the meeting, the Enterprise initiated a thorough review of all the stories Pelczar had written for the paper during the two months he had worked there. They have uncovered seven stories that included AI-generated quotes from six individuals, Bacon said Tuesday. He is still examining other stories.

“They're very convincing quotes,” Bacon said, noting that the people he spoke to during his review of Pelczar's articles said the quotes sounded like something they'd say, but that they never actually had a conversation with Pelczar.

Baker reported that seven individuals told him that they had been quoted in stories written by Pelczar, but had not spoken to him.

Pelczar did not respond to an AP phone message seeking comment. Bacon mentioned that Pelczar declined to discuss the situation with another Wyoming newspaper that had reached out.

Baker, a regular reader of the Enterprise due to its competitive nature, told the AP that a blend of phrases and citations in Pelczar's articles raised his suspicions.

Pelczar's article about a shooting in Yellowstone National Park included the sentence: “This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of human behavior, even in the most serene settings.”

Baker remarked that the line resembled the summaries of his stories generated by a particular chatbot, often ending with a “life lesson”.

Another article — about a poaching sentencing — contained quotes attributed to a wildlife official and a prosecutor that seemed to originate from a press release, Baker stated. However, there was no press release, and the involved agencies were unaware of the source of these quotes, he added.

Two of the contested articles included fabricated quotes from Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon that his staff only became aware of when Baker contacted them.

"In one instance, (Pelczar) crafted a story about a new OSHA regulation that included a quote from the Governor that was entirely fabricated,” Michael Pearlman, a spokesperson for the governor, stated in an email. “In another case, he appeared to fabricate a portion of a quote, and then combined it with a portion of a quote that was included in a press release announcing the new director of our Wyoming Game and Fish Department.”

The most blatant AI-generated copy appeared in the story about Larry the Cable Guy that concluded with the explanation of the inverted pyramid, the basic approach to writing a breaking news story.

It's not hard to create AI stories. Users could put a criminal affidavit into an AI program and ask it to write an article about the case including quotations from local officials, said Alex Mahadevan, director of a digital media literacy project at the Poynter Institute, the prominent journalism think tank.

“These generative AI chatbots are programmed to provide you with an answer, regardless of whether that answer is complete nonsense or not," Mahadevan said.

Megan Barton, the Cody Enterprise's publisher, penned an editorial calling AI “the new, advanced form of plagiarism and in the field of media and writing, plagiarism is something every media outlet has had to address at some point or another. It's the unsavory part of the job. But, a company willing to correct (or quite literally write) these wrongs is a reputable one."

Barton wrote that the newspaper has learned its lesson, has a system in place to identify AI-generated stories and will “have longer discussions about how AI-generated stories are not acceptable.”

The Enterprise lacked a clear AI policy, primarily because it seemed self-evident that journalists should refrain from using AI to generate stories, Bacon stated. Poynter offers a guideline from which news organizations can construct their own AI policy.

Bacon aims to establish one by the end of the week.

“This will be a topic of conversation during the pre-employment interview process,” he mentioned.