The New York Times Severs Ties with Freelancer Over AI-Generated Plagiarism in Book Review
The New York Times has terminated its relationship with freelance journalist and author Alex Preston after discovering he used artificial intelligence to assist in writing a book review that contained plagiarised elements from a review published in the Guardian. This incident highlights growing concerns over the misuse of AI in journalism and the ethical standards required in publishing.
Discovery and Investigation
The issue came to light when a New York Times reader flagged striking similarities between Preston's January review of the novel Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea and an August review of the same book written by Christobel Kent for the Guardian. The New York Times promptly launched an investigation, during which Preston admitted to using an AI tool to help draft his review. He confessed that he failed to identify and remove sections that were directly lifted from the Guardian's piece before submission.
In a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday, Preston expressed deep regret, stating he was "hugely embarrassed" and had "made a serious mistake." The New York Times responded by adding an editor's note to the review, acknowledging the use of AI and linking to the Guardian's original article. The note clarified that Preston's actions violated the paper's standards due to his reliance on AI and unattributed use of another writer's work.
Examples of Plagiarism
Specific instances of plagiarism were identified, including character descriptions and concluding assessments. For example, the Guardian review described a character as "lazy Machiavellian Stefano," while the New York Times version rendered it as "lazy, Machiavellian Stefano." More notably, the Guardian's concluding line praised the book as "most significantly a song of love to a country of contradictions, battered, war-torn, divided, misguided and miraculous: an Italy where life is costume and the performance of art, and where circuses spring up on wasteland." In contrast, Preston's review stated the characters "populate what is ultimately a love song to a country of contradictions: battered, divided, misguided and miraculous. This is an Italy where life is performance, where circuses rise on wasteland."
Consequences and Apology
A spokesperson for the New York Times confirmed that Preston would no longer write for the publication. Preston had contributed six reviews between 2021 and 2026, but assured the Times he had not used AI in any other articles. In his apology, Preston took full responsibility, saying, "I made a serious mistake in using an AI tool on a draft review I had written, and I failed to identify and remove overlapping language from another review that the AI dropped in. I am hugely embarrassed by what happened and truly sorry. I took responsibility immediately and apologised to the New York Times, and I also want to apologise to Christobel Kent and to the Guardian."
Preston, a six-time author and head of advisory at investment management firm Man Group, has written for prominent outlets such as the Observer, the FT, the Guardian, and the Economist. Ironically, earlier this year, he authored a piece for Man Group titled The AI Bubble: Hidden Risks and Opportunities, underscoring the complexities and pitfalls associated with AI technology in professional contexts.
