Ross Levinsohn, CEO, Sports Illustrated magz fired over AI articles scandal

Hyderabad: Ross Levinsohn, CEO of the Arena Group, which acquired Sports Illustrated in 2017, was fired after the magazine published bylined articles of non-existing authors and AI-generated headshots and content. Meanwhile, Manoj Bhargava, founder of the 5-Hour Energy Drink, has been named as the interim CEO of the magazine.

The Arena Group’s board release mentioned that following a meeting it was decided to ‘improve the operational efficiency and revenue of the company’. There was no mention of the AI scandal that was unearthed by an investigative report published by the science and news publication, Futurism.

Futurism reported that among the several fake profiles that Sports Illustrated had published, there was one named ‘Sora Tanaka’. Sora Tanaka was a product reviewer and a fitness guru who loved to experiment with different foods and drinks. She also loved to share her fitness mantra and her nutritional expertise with the Product Reviews Team. But Sora Tanaka never existed!

Ross Levinsohn has been a media expert and held top-tier roles for three decades. His views on finance, and technology are often cited in publications the world over. Ross served as the interim CEO at Yahoo, was President of Fox Interactive Media and has also held senior positions in HBO, Tribune, Guggenheim Digital Media, Alta Vista and CBS Sportsline.