ISLAMABAD – Pakistan auto sales just got improved, and like many news outlets, Dawn also carried a story until readers noticed something unusual. The tail part of the story was a message that clearly was not meant for publication.
In a plot twist no one saw coming, newspaper’s Business section just gave the internet its new favorite headline, and it wasn’t even written by a human.
Readers were left stunned and apparenlty entertained when an article about car sales accidentally included promopt note from ChatGPT, which reads “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?”
GPT basically offered to make the article more smooth in the middle of the published piece. Naturally, social media lost its collective mind. Platforms like X, Facebook, and other portals were flooded with reactions ranging from hysterical laughter to existential dread.
Here’s how people reacted
But amid the memes and mockery, some took a more serious tone. A digital media analyst pointed out, “This is exactly why AI can assist but not replace editors. Someone still needs to read before hitting publish, preferably a human.”
The newspaper later shared Editor message on web page saying
This report published in today’s Dawn was originally edited using AI, which is in violation of our current AI policy. The policy is available on our website and can be reviewed here. The original report also carried AI-generated artefact text from the editing process, which has been edited out in the digital version. The matter is being investigated, and the violation of AI policy is regretted. — Editor
The incident has also made debate over AI’s growing grip on media. Critics warned that while this one was funny, it might be a glimpse of what’s to come if editorial oversight keeps shrinking.
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