Pakistan’s leading English newspaper, DAWN, has faced a backlash after accidentally publishing a ChatGPT prompt in one of its business stories.
The error appeared in the last paragraph of an article titled, ‘Auto sales rev up in October’.
The last line of the article read: “If you want, I can also create an even snappier ‘front-page style’ version with punchy one-line stats and a bold, infographic-ready layout perfect for maximum reader impact. Do you want me to do that next?”
An online version of the article now carries an Editor’s note, admitting that the print piece had been edited using AI, “which is in violation of our current AI policy.” DAWN said that it was investigating the “regrettable violation”.
Publishing an AI prompt is an editor’s nightmare and one of the more remarkable cases of why many newsrooms urge caution when using AI tools.
DAWN’s AI policy permits the use of AI to assist journalists in limited tasks such as research and background, translation and image generation. It prohibits journalists using AI tools to write or edit pieces.
Ironically, in its commitment to transparency, DAWN states: “We believe you have the right to know when and how we use AI in our work; that’s why we’ll always tell you if AI tools helped create or enhance our content — whether it’s in our articles, images, audio, or videos. No fine print, just clear labels.”
Its news chiefs could not have imagined a clearer label than publishing an AI prompt.
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The gaffe has led to widespread criticism on social media.
“Imagine lecturing others about ‘ethics in media’ while publishing AI-generated articles yourself. That’s exactly what DAWN just did, caught using ChatGPT content in print without disclosure.
The mask has slipped, and the hypocrisy is showing,” posted one social media user.
Another, who also took a swipe at Pakistan’s cricket team, added: “Pak paper caught using ChatGPT. As a 90s kid, I believe every line in the Pakistani English newspaper is AI-generated except ‘Boys played well’.
DAWN was launched in British India by Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1941. Its embrace of AI may have been viewed as a ‘new dawn’, but now appears more like a false dawn.
