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  3. What's going on here?

What's going on here?

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  • TaggartM Taggart

    What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

    UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

    https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

    Jason LefkowitzJ This user is from outside of this forum
    Jason LefkowitzJ This user is from outside of this forum
    Jason Lefkowitz
    wrote last edited by
    #9

    @mttaggart jfc. As an Ars subscriber, I am furious

    SnoopJS JoseJ Matt GriffinM 3 Replies Last reply
    0
    • Jason LefkowitzJ Jason Lefkowitz

      @mttaggart jfc. As an Ars subscriber, I am furious

      SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
      SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
      SnoopJ
      wrote last edited by
      #10

      @jalefkowit @mttaggart I'm really saddened that Benj's work seems to have fallen off. I trusted his writing, once.

      GlyphG 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • TaggartM Taggart

        What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

        UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

        https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

        dataramaD This user is from outside of this forum
        dataramaD This user is from outside of this forum
        datarama
        wrote last edited by
        #11

        @mttaggart Why is it that I *immediately* figured that the byline would be Benj Edwards?

        rewarpR 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • TaggartM Taggart

          What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

          UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

          https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

          Corey Snipes 🕯️❄️C This user is from outside of this forum
          Corey Snipes 🕯️❄️C This user is from outside of this forum
          Corey Snipes 🕯️❄️
          wrote last edited by
          #12

          @mttaggart lol @ the one downvote

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • SnoopJS SnoopJ

            @jalefkowit @mttaggart I'm really saddened that Benj's work seems to have fallen off. I trusted his writing, once.

            GlyphG This user is from outside of this forum
            GlyphG This user is from outside of this forum
            Glyph
            wrote last edited by
            #13

            @SnoopJ @jalefkowit @mttaggart I am tempted to go on a tagging spree but out of respect for your mentions I will refrain. but what the hell, someone needs to be held to account for this

            GlyphG 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • GlyphG Glyph

              @SnoopJ @jalefkowit @mttaggart I am tempted to go on a tagging spree but out of respect for your mentions I will refrain. but what the hell, someone needs to be held to account for this

              GlyphG This user is from outside of this forum
              GlyphG This user is from outside of this forum
              Glyph
              wrote last edited by
              #14

              @SnoopJ @jalefkowit @mttaggart in this day and age I do not want to go around saying reporters should be fired, I get that it’s hard out there, but this needs to be a MAJOR scandal for ars and for Benj and Kyle personally

              SnoopJS 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • GlyphG Glyph

                @SnoopJ @jalefkowit @mttaggart in this day and age I do not want to go around saying reporters should be fired, I get that it’s hard out there, but this needs to be a MAJOR scandal for ars and for Benj and Kyle personally

                SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                SnoopJ
                wrote last edited by
                #15

                @glyph @jalefkowit @mttaggart at the very least, it is egregious malpractice.

                TaggartM Asta [AMP]A 2 Replies Last reply
                0
                • SnoopJS SnoopJ

                  @glyph @jalefkowit @mttaggart at the very least, it is egregious malpractice.

                  TaggartM This user is from outside of this forum
                  TaggartM This user is from outside of this forum
                  Taggart
                  wrote last edited by
                  #16

                  @SnoopJ @glyph @jalefkowit I can not imagine an explanation of how this occurred that isn't damning.

                  SnoopJS 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • TaggartM Taggart

                    @SnoopJ @glyph @jalefkowit I can not imagine an explanation of how this occurred that isn't damning.

                    SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                    SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                    SnoopJ
                    wrote last edited by
                    #17

                    @mttaggart @glyph @jalefkowit laying my personal wager on "someone used the nonsense machine" but agreed, I cannot think of any explanation for this that would be remotely acceptable.

                    SnoopJS 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • SnoopJS SnoopJ

                      @mttaggart @glyph @jalefkowit laying my personal wager on "someone used the nonsense machine" but agreed, I cannot think of any explanation for this that would be remotely acceptable.

                      SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                      SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                      SnoopJ
                      wrote last edited by
                      #18

                      @mttaggart @glyph @jalefkowit correction: I *can* think of one, and it's "they accidentally quoted from the hit-piece blog articles instead"

                      But they didn't do that, those don't contain the quotes either.

                      Jason LefkowitzJ 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • SnoopJS SnoopJ

                        @glyph @jalefkowit @mttaggart at the very least, it is egregious malpractice.

                        Asta [AMP]A This user is from outside of this forum
                        Asta [AMP]A This user is from outside of this forum
                        Asta [AMP]
                        wrote last edited by
                        #19

                        @SnoopJ@hachyderm.io @glyph@mastodon.social @jalefkowit@vmst.io @mttaggart@infosec.exchange I am disappointed, although not surprised, that my read on Benj's work at Ars turned out to the accurate one in recent years. Bleh.

                        SnoopJS 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • TaggartM Taggart

                          What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

                          UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

                          https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

                          AddisonA This user is from outside of this forum
                          AddisonA This user is from outside of this forum
                          Addison
                          wrote last edited by
                          #20

                          @mttaggart@infosec.exchange link is dead

                          chris@strafpla.netC 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • Asta [AMP]A Asta [AMP]

                            @SnoopJ@hachyderm.io @glyph@mastodon.social @jalefkowit@vmst.io @mttaggart@infosec.exchange I am disappointed, although not surprised, that my read on Benj's work at Ars turned out to the accurate one in recent years. Bleh.

                            SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                            SnoopJS This user is from outside of this forum
                            SnoopJ
                            wrote last edited by
                            #21

                            @aud very rude of him to fall off so strongly immediately after I defended his work to you

                            Asta [AMP]A cthos 🐱C 2 Replies Last reply
                            0
                            • TaggartM Taggart

                              What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

                              UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

                              https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

                              BrettB This user is from outside of this forum
                              BrettB This user is from outside of this forum
                              Brett
                              wrote last edited by
                              #22

                              @mttaggart

                              Seeing the absolute shit shoveling going on that counts for producing content at Ars over the past well...10-15 years at this point...

                              I'm not sure anyone should be following them let alone paying them subscription money.

                              That they are now using AI to write their articles is the least surprising thing ever. What a catastrophic fall from grace.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • TaggartM Taggart

                                What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

                                UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

                                https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

                                Eric JenningsH This user is from outside of this forum
                                Eric JenningsH This user is from outside of this forum
                                Eric Jennings
                                wrote last edited by
                                #23

                                @mttaggart @mhoye Looks like @arstechnica just pulled the article.

                                TaggartM 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • SnoopJS SnoopJ

                                  @aud very rude of him to fall off so strongly immediately after I defended his work to you

                                  Asta [AMP]A This user is from outside of this forum
                                  Asta [AMP]A This user is from outside of this forum
                                  Asta [AMP]
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #24

                                  @SnoopJ@hachyderm.io One explanation I can think of is that an editor or Conde Nast higher up generated this using the author's bylines, without their involvement.

                                  I would not put it past Conde Nast.

                                  Asta [AMP]A 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • TaggartM Taggart

                                    What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

                                    UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

                                    https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

                                    brendan (ジャンク品)B This user is from outside of this forum
                                    brendan (ジャンク品)B This user is from outside of this forum
                                    brendan (ジャンク品)
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #25

                                    @mttaggart i expect better from kyle; i do not trust benj edwards at all. between him and eric berger doing free pr for elon musk ars is in a sorry state right now

                                    Dr. SobekS Lee from ColoradoC 2 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • Asta [AMP]A Asta [AMP]

                                      @SnoopJ@hachyderm.io One explanation I can think of is that an editor or Conde Nast higher up generated this using the author's bylines, without their involvement.

                                      I would not put it past Conde Nast.

                                      Asta [AMP]A This user is from outside of this forum
                                      Asta [AMP]A This user is from outside of this forum
                                      Asta [AMP]
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #26

                                      @SnoopJ@hachyderm.io but if his work had been good (which I was not familiar with before I started reading his articles that smacked increasingly more of boosterism) before... well, it certainly seems to fall into the pattern that people are seeing with regards to LLM usage (trusting it more and more without checking, etc).

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • TaggartM Taggart

                                        What's going on here? The matplotlib maintainer this story is about correctly notes that all the quotes from his post in the article are made up.

                                        UPDATE: Link was pulled; see below.

                                        https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/after-a-routine-code-rejection-an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-someone-by-name

                                        ? Offline
                                        ? Offline
                                        Guest
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #27

                                        @mttaggart Seems they took it down. Just wow.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • Eric JenningsH Eric Jennings

                                          @mttaggart @mhoye Looks like @arstechnica just pulled the article.

                                          TaggartM This user is from outside of this forum
                                          TaggartM This user is from outside of this forum
                                          Taggart
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #28

                                          @HitokiriEric @mhoye @arstechnica Maybe, but Pepperidge Farm remembers: https://mttaggart.neocities.org/ars-whoopsie

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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