Sports Illustrated CEO Ross Levinsohn dismissed following artificial intelligence scandal.

The CEO of The Arena Group, the owner of Sports Illustrated, has been fired following allegations that the magazine published articles created by artificial intelligence (AI). Ross Levinsohn's termination is said to be aimed at improving the company's operational efficiency and revenue. The firing comes as part of a larger purge of senior executives at The Arena Group in response to the scandal. Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-Hour Energy, will take over as the new CEO. However, a spokesperson for Bhargava stated that Levinsohn's removal had nothing to do with the AI issue, but was part of ongoing efforts to improve the company. Last month, Sports Illustrated admitted to publishing several articles with fake author names and AI-generated headshots, but disputed the accuracy of the report and launched an internal investigation. The content was licensed from a third-party company called Advon Commerce, which claims the articles were written and edited by humans. The use of AI in journalism has raised concerns about the potential for misinformation, with some newsrooms making errors or failing to disclose AI-generated content. Staff at Sports Illustrated were appalled by the revelations, especially considering the company's previous layoffs. The Sports Illustrated Union demanded a commitment to journalistic standards, including not publishing computer-written stories by fake people.