“In each case, the algorithm can only produce a highly formulaic article, but people are interested enough in the content that it doesn’t seem to matter. One of these algorithms is called Heliograf, developed by the Washington Post to turn sports stats into news articles. As early as 2016, it was already producing hundreds of articles a year. Here’s an example of its reporting on a football game. > The Quince Orchard Cougars shut out the Einstein Titans, 47–0, on Friday. Quince Orchard opened the game with an eight-yard touchdown off a blocked punt return by Aaron Green. The Cougars added to their lead on Marquez Cooper’s three-yard touchdown run. The Cougars extended their lead on Aaron Derwin’s 18-yard touchdown run. The Cougars went even further ahead following Derwin’s 63-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Doc Bonner, bringing the score to 27–0. It’s not exciting stuff, but Heliograf does describe the game.\* It knows how to populate an article based on a spreadsheet full of data and a few stock sports phrases. **But an AI like Heliograf would utterly fail when faced with information that doesn’t fit neatly into the prescribed boxes. Did a horse run onto the field midgame? Was the locker room of the Einstein Titans overrun by cockroaches? Is there an opportunity for a clever pun? Heliograf only knows how to report its spreadsheet.**” --- **Tags** — [[quotes]], [[artificial-intelligence]], [[ai-problems]], **Source** — [[202307171347 — B — You Look Like a Thing and I Love You]]