The Arena Group, the parent company of Sports Illustrated, has officially terminated the employment of its CEO, Ross Levinsohn. The decision follows the recent scandal where Sports Illustrated was found to have published articles featuring fake authors with AI-generated headshots and biographies. The board of the Arena Group stated that Levinsohn’s firing is part of a broader initiative aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and revenue within the company.
The controversy erupted after an investigative report by Futurism uncovered fake profiles and AI-generated content in articles published by Sports Illustrated. One example included a fictitious author named “Sora Tanaka” with a fabricated biography. The Arena Group, which acquired Sports Illustrated in 2019, initially denied the allegations and attributed the content to a third-party advertising company, AdVon Commerce.
The company later severed ties with AdVon Commerce, removed its content from Arena websites, and initiated an internal investigation. Levinsohn’s termination is seen as a response to the fallout from this AI-generated content scandal. Manoj Bhargava has been appointed as the interim CEO as the company aims to address concerns and improve its overall operations.
The incident has sparked ethical discussions about the use of artificial intelligence in journalism and raised questions about the responsibility of media organizations to ensure the authenticity of published content. The fallout from the controversy has led to significant changes in the leadership of the Arena Group, with Levinsohn being the latest executive to exit the company.
