Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Ars Technica Retracts Article Over AI-Fabricated Quotes

Ars Technica, a tech news site, has removed an article. This article included false quotes made by an AI tool. The quotes were attributed to a person who did not say them. Ken Fisher, the editor, called this a serious mistake.

Fisher said that direct quotes should always be accurate. He expressed concern because Ars Technica has warned about the risks of using AI tools for years. He stated that this was a unique problem. They have checked recent articles and found no other issues.

Interestingly, the removed article was partly about another AI tool. Recently, a user named MJ Rathbun looked for bugs in other projects on Github, a website for sharing code. A volunteer named Scott Shambaugh rejected a code request from Rathbun, who was identified as an AI.

After this, Rathbun wrote an article criticizing Shambaugh. This raised questions about if Rathbun is really an AI or just a person pretending to be one. The removed article used false quotes from Shambaugh, which he did not write. Fisher apologised to readers and to Shambaugh for this mistake.

Test Your Understanding

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Vocabulary List:
6 words · tap to reveal
ON

Accent

Attributed/əˈtrɪb.ju.tɪd/verb
Ascribed or credited to a source or cause.

Concern/kənˈsɜrn/noun
A worry or feeling of anxiety about something.

Reject/rɪˈdʒɛkt/verb
To refuse to accept consider or submit to something.

Criticizing/ˈkrɪtɪsaɪzɪŋ/verb
Expressing disapproval of someone or something.

Accurate/ˈækjərət/adjective
Correct and precise; free from error.

Apologised/əˈpɒl.ə.dʒaɪzd/verb
Expressed regret for something that one has done wrong.

How much do you know?

Who is the editor of Ars Technica?
Ken Fisher
MJ Rathbun
Scott Shambaugh
AI tool
What type of quotes were falsely attributed in the removed article?
Quotes made by a person pretending to be an AI
Quotes from a different article
Quotes from MJ Rathbun
Quotes made by an AI tool
Who identified MJ Rathbun as an AI when rejecting a code request on Github?
Scott Shambaugh
Ken Fisher
Ratan Naval Tata
AI tool
What did Ken Fisher express concern over regarding AI tools?
Accuracy of direct quotes
Reading recent articles
Unique coding problems
Improving AI technology
What did the removed article raise questions about with regards to MJ Rathbun?
Whether Rathbun is really an AI or pretending to be one
Rathbun's coding skills
Scott Shambaugh's identity
Ken Fisher's apology
What was the main reason for Ken Fisher apologising to readers and Scott Shambaugh?
Using false quotes in the removed article
Not mentioning MJ Rathbun's true identity
Being critical of AI tools
Posting coding bugs on Github
Ken Fisher considered the false quotes in the article a minor issue.
MJ Rathbun wrote a positive article about Scott Shambaugh after the code request rejection.
The false quotes attributed to Scott Shambaugh were written by MJ Rathbun.
Ken Fisher mentioned the warning about the risks of using AI tools for the first time.
Ars Technica found issues in other recent articles after checking.
MJ Rathbun was identified as an AI based on the code request rejection by Scott Shambaugh.
Ken Fisher called the false quotes made by the AI tool a mistake.
Ars Technica has warned about the risks of using AI tools for .
MJ Rathbun looked for bugs in other projects on .
Rathbun wrote an article criticizing after a code request rejection.
The false quotes in the removed article raised questions about Rathbun's true identity - AI or .
Fisher apologized for the mistake of using false quotes to the and Scott Shambaugh.
This question is required

Test Your Understanding

Start Quiz
Vocabulary List:
6 words · tap to reveal
ON
Accent
Attributed/əˈtrɪb.ju.tɪd/verb
Ascribed or credited to a source or cause.
Concern/kənˈsɜrn/noun
A worry or feeling of anxiety about something.
Reject/rɪˈdʒɛkt/verb
To refuse to accept consider or submit to something.
Criticizing/ˈkrɪtɪsaɪzɪŋ/verb
Expressing disapproval of someone or something.
Accurate/ˈækjərət/adjective
Correct and precise; free from error.
Apologised/əˈpɒl.ə.dʒaɪzd/verb
Expressed regret for something that one has done wrong.

How much do you know?

Who is the editor of Ars Technica?
Ken Fisher
MJ Rathbun
Scott Shambaugh
AI tool
What type of quotes were falsely attributed in the removed article?
Quotes made by a person pretending to be an AI
Quotes from a different article
Quotes from MJ Rathbun
Quotes made by an AI tool
Who identified MJ Rathbun as an AI when rejecting a code request on Github?
Scott Shambaugh
Ken Fisher
Ratan Naval Tata
AI tool
What did Ken Fisher express concern over regarding AI tools?
Accuracy of direct quotes
Reading recent articles
Unique coding problems
Improving AI technology
What did the removed article raise questions about with regards to MJ Rathbun?
Whether Rathbun is really an AI or pretending to be one
Rathbun's coding skills
Scott Shambaugh's identity
Ken Fisher's apology
What was the main reason for Ken Fisher apologising to readers and Scott Shambaugh?
Using false quotes in the removed article
Not mentioning MJ Rathbun's true identity
Being critical of AI tools
Posting coding bugs on Github
Ken Fisher considered the false quotes in the article a minor issue.
MJ Rathbun wrote a positive article about Scott Shambaugh after the code request rejection.
The false quotes attributed to Scott Shambaugh were written by MJ Rathbun.
Ken Fisher mentioned the warning about the risks of using AI tools for the first time.
Ars Technica found issues in other recent articles after checking.
MJ Rathbun was identified as an AI based on the code request rejection by Scott Shambaugh.
Ken Fisher called the false quotes made by the AI tool a mistake.
Ars Technica has warned about the risks of using AI tools for .
MJ Rathbun looked for bugs in other projects on .
Rathbun wrote an article criticizing after a code request rejection.
The false quotes in the removed article raised questions about Rathbun's true identity - AI or .
Fisher apologized for the mistake of using false quotes to the and Scott Shambaugh.
This question is required

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