L.A. Times pulls new AI tool off article after it defends the KKK

The brand-new Los Angeles Times artificial intelligence feature didn’t exactly get off to the best start.

The long-touted feature named “Insights” launched this week for the paper’s opinion articles and is designed to “offer readers an instantly accessible way to see a wide range of different AI-enabled perspectives alongside the positions presented in the article.”

In its brief existence, the feature has indicated the point of view of the article in question and lays out arguments and counter-arguments related to central theme of the opinion piece.

On one story, however, the AI-powered tool perhaps went a little too far on its examination of one of the opinion stories.

The Feb. 25 article from Gustavo Arellano titled “100 years ago, Anaheim recalled its KKK city council. Why don’t we remember?”

When viewing the article on Wednesday, the new Insights tab isn’t there. But it was on Tuesday.

As captured by New York Times tech reporter Ryan Mac, the Insights for this article presented a counterpoint to Arellano’s opinions that some Orange County communities do too much to enable racists and elevate white supremacists.

Before the Insights feature was removed from that story, Mac posted a screenshot on his BlueSky account. One bullet point read as follows:

“Local historical accounts occasionally frame the 1920s Klan as a product of ‘white Protestant culture’ responding to societal changes rather than an explicitly hate-driven movement, minimizing its idealogical threat.”

The Insights feature has since been removed from that particular article. As of Wednesday, The Times has not publicly acknowledged the comment from the AI tool.

The Times’ owner Patrick Soon-Shiong wrote a letter announcing the release of the tool on Monday and called it a way to offer “varied viewpoints.”

“I believe providing more varied viewpoints supports our journalistic mission and will help readers navigate the issues facing this nation,” he said.