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AIQuiet 7d · day 11

Website uses AI to impersonate northern Indigenous news correspondents

WE NEWS creates fake AI journalists with Indigenous identities, drawing criticism from media experts for muddying authentic reporting.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 10d ago8 pieces128 likes & upvotes1 comments MastodonRedditGoogle News

What to know

  • WE NEWS operates three AI-generated journalists with false Indigenous identities, claiming Yukon First Nation and Inuit heritage.
  • Industry experts and commenters say the practice is harmful and confuses readers seeking authentic Indigenous reporting.
  • Social media users frame the tactic as a form of 'technology colonialism' that dehumanizes Indigenous peoples.
most voices

This is technology colonialism that weaponizes AI against Indigenous peoples and undermines authentic journalism.

  • “AI predators!!! TechnologyColonialism now dehumanizes Indigenouspeoples. This is harmful on so many levels.”

    miki_lou · Mastodon ↗

“The website WE NEWS has three northern Indigenous 'AI correspondents.' Their profiles say they are 'a member of Yukon First Nation,' 'of Dene heritage,' and 'an Inuk raised in the North.'”

CBC News · CBC ↗

WE NEWS Website operatorCBC News Investigative outlet

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump posts

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Sep 16, 12 PM; 8 pieces over 11 days (2 articles · 6 posts) Sep 16, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Google News 1, Mastodon 1Sep 16, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 16, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 16, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 12 AM — quietSep 17, 3 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — quietSep 17, 9 AM — quietSep 17, 12 PM — quietSep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 23, 12 AM — quietSep 23, 3 AM — quietSep 23, 6 AM — quietSep 23, 9 AM — quietSep 23, 12 PM — quietSep 23, 3 PM — quietSep 23, 6 PM — quietSep 23, 9 PM — quietSep 24, 12 AM — quietSep 24, 3 AM — quietSep 24, 6 AM — quietSep 24, 9 AM — quietSep 24, 12 PM — quietSep 24, 3 PM — quietSep 24, 6 PM — quietSep 24, 9 PM — quietSep 25, 12 AM — quietSep 25, 3 AM — quietSep 25, 6 AM — quietSep 25, 9 AM — quietSep 25, 12 PM — quietSep 25, 3 PM — quietSep 25, 6 PM — quietSep 25, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 12 PM — quietToday, 3 PM — quietToday, 6 PM — quiet ◂ 1 earlier2
Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25yesterdaynow · 8:27 PM ET
  1. 2

    Social media users condemn the practice as 'technology colonialism'

    Commentary on Mastodon characterizes the AI correspondents as predatory and harmful, framing the use of fake Indigenous identities as a form of technological colonialism that dehumanizes Indigenous peoples.

    “AI predators!!! TechnologyColonialism now dehumanizes Indigenouspeoples. This is harmful on so many levels.”
    — miki_lou
    • emilymbender@dair-community.social

      RE: https:// beige.party/@adub/117294676728 827281 And every day there is more Fresh AI Hell. What's worse than polluting the information ecosystem with synthetic text dressed up to look like news? Dressing it up further as the work of fake Indigenous journalists. >>

      emilymbender@dair-community.socialMastodon8d ago2▲view on Mastodon ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • reedmideke@mastodon.social

      Slop farm WE NEWS "process mostly seems to be repurposing articles from legitimate news sources, rewording them and then publishing the edited version with AI-generated images" but I guess that wasn't shitty enough for them so they also dress it up with digital blackface 🤮 https://www. cbc.ca/news/canada/north/artif…

      reedmideke@mastodon.socialMastodon7d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    • miki_lou@mastodon.social

      # AI predators!!! # TechnologyColonialism now dehumanizes # Indigenouspeoples . This is harmful on so many levels. https://www. cbc.ca/news/canada/north/artif icial-intelligence-indigenous-journalists-9.7345554 # Journalism # Yukon # Nunavut # Arctic # Canada

      miki_lou@mastodon.socialMastodon11d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    CBC reports WE NEWS uses AI to impersonate Indigenous journalists

    CBC News investigation reveals that WE NEWS operates three AI-generated "correspondents" with profiles falsely claiming Indigenous identities and Northern heritage. The site presents these AI personas as legitimate journalists of Yukon First Nation, Dene, and Inuit backgrounds.

    1. 1 outlet ‘Very harmful’: website uses AI to generate northern Indigenous news ‘correspondents’ | CBC News

      first by Mastodon, 6d ago

    2. 1 outlet 'Very harmful': website uses AI to generate northern Indigenous news 'correspondents'

      first by CBC, 11d ago

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 3 · verbatim