Book about AI and future of truth used quotes made up by AI, author says he is investigating

A book discussing AI, misinformation and the future of truth is ironically facing backlash after several quotes in it were found to be AI-generated or wrongly attributed.

In Short

• Book on AI and misinformation reportedly used AI-generated quotes
• Author Steven Rosenbaum admits using ChatGPT and Claude during research
• A NYT report finds more than six quotations questionable

There is a new book that talks about AI, misinformation and the future of truth. However, the very same book is now facing intense scrutiny about its own “truth” after it was found to contain several AI-generated and misattributed quotes. According to a report by The New York Times, multiple quotations in The Future of Truth were found to be either fabricated by AI tools, wrongly attributed, or altered in ways that changed what people actually said.

No, AI Checkers cannot identify AI content

The report captures the irony of our AI era where nothing seems to be on surer footing. A book discussing truth and misinformation itself has become an example of the risks associated with unchecked AI-generated content. According to the NYT report, Steven Rosenbaum, author of The Future of Truth, acknowledged that the book contained a number of “improperly attributed or synthetic quotes”. The acknowledgement from the author came after the publication reviewed sections of the book and questioned Rosenbaum about several quotations that appeared inaccurate or entirely made up.

In a statement shared with the NYT, Rosenbaum said he had launched his own investigation into the issue. He said the inclusion of the quotes was accidental and denied intentionally fabricating viewpoints while writing the book.

“As I disclosed in the book’s acknowledgments, I used AI tools ChatGPT and Claude during the research, writing and editing process,” Rosenbaum told the NYT. “That does not excuse these errors, of which I take full responsibility.”

The author added that he was working with editors to review and correct affected sections in future editions of the book.

The Future of Truth was published this month through an imprint of BenBella Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Rosenbaum is a known name in certain circles and currently serves as executive director of the Sustainable Media Center, a non-profit focused on media literacy and digital culture.

Notably, the controversy surrounding the book comes at a time when publishers and authors are increasingly facing questions over the use of generative AI in research and writing.

It also comes at a time when already there is a debate on perceived AI content in books and literary writings. Just a day ago the literary circles on social media were abuzz over a short story published in Granta. The story earlier won a prize from The Commonwealth Foundation. The controversy began after readers and AI researchers pointed out that some winning stories carried writing patterns associated with chatbot-generated text, including repetitive sentence structures, strange metaphors and unusual phrasing.

One of the stories that drew attention was The Serpent in the Grove by Trinidad writer Jamir Nazir. According to the report, AI detection tool Pangram flagged the story as “100 percent AI-generated”. At the same time in Indian circles on X, many have alleged that a recently-viral article about adult friendship and a non-fiction book published by Penguin are also work of AI. As a proof for these extraordinary claims, reports from AI checking tools have been cited even though such tools are highly unreliable and prone to false positives.

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