Several Reddit users seemed overjoyed by the introduction of a fictitious feature named Glorbo in World of Warcraft. The purported impact of this feature on the game was seen with great anticipation by many. This fake buzz reached an AI-powered gaming blog called The Portal, which is designed to produce content through Z League, an app dedicated to uniting gaming enthusiasts.
However, the reality is, Glorbo doesn’t exist. The Portal seemingly utilizes AI technology to gather information from Reddit threads and convert it into content.
Reddit user u/kaefer_kriegerin identified that The Portal was repackaging discourse from various gaming subreddits into articles. This observation prompted them to dupe the content mill into featuring the made-up WoW feature, Glorbo. This prank worked, with other Reddit users and even Blizzard developers joining the act, according to WoW Head.
The Portal’s since-removed blog post even quoted u/kaefer_kriegerin saying, “Honestly, this new feature makes me so happy! I just really want some major bot operated news websites to publish an article about this.” The irony is quite striking. An archived copy of the post remains available.
While AI plays a significant role in The Portal’s operations, some human intervention is noticeable. The website labeled the article as “(Satire)” before deleting it entirely. The site also posted an article based on another Reddit prank regarding WoW confiscating players’ keys, which isn’t happening. This article, too, has been removed.
BuyTechBlog has reached out to Blizzard to clarify whether it will respond to the Glorbo hype and actually implement the feature in WoW. Intriguingly, Blizzard is said to be employing AI to assist in designing character outfits and concept art. A comment from Z League has also been requested, and any received (likely AI-produced) statement will be shared.
With the recent surge in generative AI, there’s a growing trend of AI-produced content appearing on websites, even mainstream outlets. Earlier this year, CNET had to rectify multiple AI-created finance articles following the discovery of inaccuracies. The staff have resisted CNET’s intention to continue utilizing AI amidst unionization efforts. G/O Media, Gizmodo’s publisher, is also persisting with AI-generated articles, even after one was broadly ridiculed for misordering a list of Star Wars films and series. Such incidents have drawn the ire of the company’s human writers and editors.
Though human writers aren’t flawless, any reputable journalist will strive to ensure their content is as accurate and fair as possible. Generative AI is not yet up to the mark. There have been numerous cases of AI chatbots spreading misinformation. Nevertheless, some argue AI could help fight misinformation, such as assisting newsrooms with fact-checking.
Google seems to be developing an AI tool to generate news articles and automate tasks to aid journalists. Some critics who have observed the tool suggest it oversimplifies the process of creating accurate and easily understood news stories.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Artificial Intelligence Limitations
What was the hoax perpetrated by Redditors on the AI blog, The Portal?
Redditors fooled The Portal, an AI-driven blog, into covering a non-existent feature, Glorbo, in the game World of Warcraft.
Who first noticed The Portal’s practice of turning Reddit discussions into blog posts?
Redditor u/kaefer_kriegerin was the first to observe The Portal’s method of converting Reddit threads into blog articles.
What other false report did The Portal publish based on Reddit posts?
Apart from the false report on the fictional ‘Glorbo’ feature in World of Warcraft, The Portal also published another erroneous article based on a Reddit post about WoW confiscating players’ keys.
How did Blizzard respond to this situation?
As of the provided information, BuyTechBlog reached out to Blizzard for a response but it’s unclear whether they have provided a comment on the situation.
What does this incident suggest about AI-generated content?
This incident underlines the limitations of AI-generated content, particularly its vulnerability to misinformation if it is not properly supervised or validated.
More about Artificial Intelligence Limitations
- World of Warcraft Official Site
- The Portal Gaming Blog
- Reddit: World of Warcraft
- BuyTechBlog
- Blizzard Entertainment
- CNET: AI-generated Articles
- Gizmodo: AI-generated Content
6 comments
It’s not really about AI being dumb, guys. It’s about the system set up around it. Without human oversight, it was bound to happen. AI can’t discern fact from fiction like us.
Fascinating! but also kind of scary, AI is everywhere these days, what if they start spreading more serious fake news?
LOL! This is hilarious. who would have thought that an AI would fall for this prank… really shows how far AI has to go before it can really compete with humans.
these AI mistakes could be potentially harmful in the long run, misinformation is a serious issue, not to be taken lightly.
haha this is just too good, just imagine if blizzard actually made Glorbo a real thing, that’d be the real troll!
This is y I still dont trust AI for imp. things like news. Human journalists make errors too but they got accountability at least. AI’s just do what they’re programmed for.