"A spate of articles by a freelance journalist named Margaux Blanchard appeared in major English-language publications in 2025. But the pieces, including first-person essays for Business Insider and a Wired feature on couples getting married in the Minecraft game, were not what they appeared to be. Margaux Blanchard didn't exist. After an editor grew suspicious of a strange-sounding pitch and challenged Blanchard, it became clear that the work published under that name was most likely AI-generated."
"Calls for pitches rely on trust: that the journalist is who they say they are, that they're doing the work themselves. How are commissioning editors navigating an environment where anybody can generate an AI alter ego and produce articles at the push of a prompt? On the other hand, how is the ease with which text and images can be created affecting freelancers themselves?"
Two fake freelance identities created convincing work that appeared in major English-language outlets and were later removed after editors suspected AI involvement. One fake byline produced first-person essays and a Wired feature; another used AI-generated pitches and pieces. Editorial processes that depend on trust were exposed as vulnerable to AI alter egos and synthetic content. Commissioning editors face new verification challenges while freelancers must adapt to easier content creation. An open call returned 45 responses from freelancers and commissioning editors, revealing many freelancers find generative AI increases organization and efficiency, while the industry adopts AI cautiously with remaining skepticism.
Read at Nieman Lab
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