The New York Times drops freelancer whose AI tool copied from an existing book review

THE DECODER / 4/6/2026

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Key Points

  • The New York Times reportedly dropped a freelancer after their AI tool copied content from an existing book review, highlighting risks of AI-assisted writing that lacks proper checks and attribution.
  • The case is presented alongside other recent incidents where AI tools produced problematic outputs such as copied passages and fabricated quotes, showing how misunderstandings of AI behavior can lead to editorial failures.
  • The article emphasizes that AI tools can speed up journalism, but they can also “backfire” when writers and teams do not fully understand how the tools generate text and where they may reproduce source material.
  • Overall, the piece frames these events as cautionary examples for media organizations about governance, review processes, and responsible AI use in content production.

Canadian media companies sue OpenAI for copyright infringement

AI tools can speed up journalism until they backfire. Two recent cases show what happens when writers don't understand how their AI tools work: copied passages and made-up quotes.

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