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NOPE
Low reported severity Internal Action

Syndicator says freelancer used AI without disclosure and ends its relationship with him after reading list of nonexistent books ran in Chicago Sun-Times

On Sunday 18 May 2025 the Chicago Sun-Times print and e-paper editions carried a licensed special section, the Heat Index, whose summer reading list recommended books that do not exist. The newspaper said the list was created through the use of an AI tool and that King Features, the syndicator, had worked with a freelancer who used an AI agent to help build the section. Ars Technica's check found that only five of the fifteen recommended books exist, the rest being fabricated titles attributed to real authors. The freelancer told 404 Media, as relayed by Ars Technica, that he had used AI and had not checked the material this time. King Features said the freelancer used AI in its story development without disclosing it, contrary to its policy, and that it was terminating its relationship with him.

AI system
Unidentified AI writing tool
Occurred
18 May 2025 to 20 May 2025
Reported
20 May 2025
Event location
United States
What the AI did
Communicated with the person
Reported harm
Professional Harm
Whose AI use
Their own AI use
Setting
Work
Evidence
AI involvement supported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources
5 claims: 1 corroborated, 4 reported. 3 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: AI tool (described by the Chicago Sun-Times as an AI agent) that a freelance writer used to generate a syndicated summer reading list; no product is named in the inspected sources

What Happened

The section. The Heat Index was a summer supplement that the Chicago Sun-Times circulation department licensed from King Features and that ran in its 18 May 2025 print and e-paper editions. The newspaper said it ran without review by its editorial team and without acknowledgement that it came from a third party. Ars Technica reports that the supplement also ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The AI output. The Sun-Times said the reading list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist. Ars Technica's own check found that ten of the fifteen titles were fabricated and attributed to real authors. The freelancer told 404 Media that he used AI for background and normally checked the material but had not done so this time.

The consequence. King Features said it has a policy against the use of AI to create content, that the freelancer used AI without disclosing it, and that it was terminating its relationship with him. No consequence for the authors to whom the invented books were attributed is reported.

Reported harm

According to King Features' statement, relayed by the Chicago Sun-Times and Ars Technica, the syndicator ended its relationship with the freelance writer whose AI-generated summer reading list of nonexistent books it had distributed.

Outcome

Resolved

King Features stated that it was terminating its relationship with the freelancer. The Chicago Sun-Times said it would identify third-party licensed content and update its policies so that such content complies with its journalistic standards. Ars Technica reports that the same supplement also ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

What remains unknown

  • Which AI tool the freelancer used; the inspected sources name none.
  • What the freelancer's arrangement with King Features was worth and whether he lost other work.
  • Whether any author credited with an invented book took action.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: supported. The Chicago Sun-Times states that the reading list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist, and that the freelancer used an AI agent to help build the section. The freelancer told 404 Media, as relayed by Ars Technica, that he used AI and did not check the material this time (communicated_with: the tool's output reached him and he used it). Ars Technica's own check found ten of fifteen titles fabricated. King Features' statement connects the termination to his undisclosed use of AI in the story development. No product is named.

5 claims: 1 corroborated, 4 reported. What the statuses mean

Corroborated The summer reading list in the Heat Index section that the Chicago Sun-Times carried on 18 May 2025 recommended books that do not exist.

Causal attribution. The newspaper's own admission and Ars Technica's independent check of the titles.

  • chicago.suntimes.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'On Sunday, May 18, the print and e-paper editions of the Chicago Sun-Times included a special section titled the Heat Index'; 'that list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist'
  • arstechnica.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'A check by Ars Technica shows that only five of the fifteen recommended books in the list actually exist'
Reported Ars Technica found that ten of the fifteen listed books were fabricated titles attributed to real authors.

Causal attribution. Ars Technica's count; not checked by a second inspected source.

  • arstechnica.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'with the remainder being fabricated titles falsely attributed to well-known authors'; 'All of the authors are real people.'
Reported The freelance writer who produced the section used an AI tool to generate the list and did not check its output on this occasion.

Causal attribution. The newspaper's account of what King Features told it and the freelancer's own admission to 404 Media, relayed by Ars Technica, both say he used AI; that he did not check the output rests on his admission alone, so the claim is reported.

  • chicago.suntimes.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'King Features worked with a freelancer who used an AI agent to help build out this special section.'
  • arstechnica.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses,'
Reported King Features said the freelancer used AI in the story development without disclosure, contrary to its policy, and that it was terminating its relationship with him.

Causal attribution. King Features' statement, relayed by both sources; the termination itself is attested only by that statement.

  • chicago.suntimes.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance content creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI. We are terminating our relationship with this individual.'
  • arstechnica.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'saying that his use of AI violated its polities and it was terminating its relationship with him'
Reported The section was licensed from King Features and inserted without review by the Sun-Times editorial team; Ars Technica reports that it also ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Causal attribution. The newspaper's account of its own process and Ars Technica's report of the second placement.

Sources

2 sources inspected. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in full in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-21 (HTTP 200); the newspaper's own statement, which also quotes King Features' statement. No translation was needed. Applies to s1.

Read in full in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-21 (HTTP 200). Ars Technica's own count of the books is independent of the newspaper; its account of the freelancer's admission relays 404 Media and its account of the termination relays King Features' statement. Applies to s2.

Event countries: United States. Affected-person countries: Unknown. Court countries: Unknown.

The section ran in the Chicago Sun-Times and, per Ars Technica, the Philadelphia Inquirer, both US newspapers. Where the freelancer lives or worked is not stated and is not used.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-21: Published because the Chicago Sun-Times states that an AI tool produced a syndicated reading list of nonexistent books, the freelancer admitted using AI without checking it, and King Features said it was ending its relationship with him over the undisclosed AI use. Both bodies were read in full; the termination rests on King Features' statement.

People described

A freelance content writer who produced a syndicated summer supplement for King Features and lost that working relationship. He is a private person and is not named here.

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

1 AI participant · 0 other people harmed

One person: the freelance writer who used the AI tool and whose working relationship King Features said it was terminating. The authors credited with invented books and the newspapers' readers are not counted, because no adverse consequence for them is reported.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#chicago-sun-times#king-features#syndicated-content#fabricated-books#freelancer#contract-terminated

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Syndicator says freelancer used AI without disclosure and ends its relationship with him after reading list of nonexistent books ran in Chicago Sun-Times. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-syndicator-drops-freelance-writer-after-ai-generated-summer-reading-list-of-nonexistent-books-ran-in-chicago-sun-times

BibTeX

@misc{2025_syndicator_drops_freelance_writer_after_ai_generated_summer_reading_list_of_nonexistent_books_ran_in_chicago_sun_times,
  title = {Syndicator says freelancer used AI without disclosure and ends its relationship with him after reading list of nonexistent books ran in Chicago Sun-Times},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-syndicator-drops-freelance-writer-after-ai-generated-summer-reading-list-of-nonexistent-books-ran-in-chicago-sun-times}
}

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