All hell breaking loose.
The media landscape was rocked, yesterday, when it was revealed that Sports Illustrated had published stories using fake AI-generated writers. Our surf world, frankly, was less than surprised as Sports Illustrated’s owner, The Arena Group, also counts Surfer Magazine amongst its titles.
There is, of course, no need to re-acquaint with Emily Morgan who was introduced as Surfer’s new trending news writer soon after The Arena Group acquisition. She enjoyed spicy food, strong coffee walks with her dog and lived in the shadow of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains though was disappeared quickly after her quirky AI-styled verbiage was called out.
Our surf world is small, however, and her ripple didn’t spread beyond these shores.
The Sports Illustrated brouhaha, on the other hand, has exploded. Major news outlets are covering the story with Sports Illustrated’s own staff raging mad.
In a letter to ownership, the writers issued a public statement reading, “We, the workers of the SI Union, are horrified by a story on the site Futurism. If true, these practices violate everything we believe about journalism. We deplore being associated with something so disrespectful to our readers. We demand answers and transparency from [parent group] Arena Group management about what exactly has been published under the SI name. We demand the company adhere to basic journalistic standards, including not publishing computer-written stories by fake people.”
Heavy.
And yet, one of those Sports Illustrated “fake people” might have leaked into surfing. This morning a piece titled “Highlights: Hawaii’s Black Friday Swell Delivers Massive Surf On Maui” was published by “Jake Howard” who might be described as a “neutral white young-adult male with short blonde hair and blue eyes.”
Seasoned big-wave surfers in Hawaii, from Kai Lenny to Mark Healey, all described the giant northwest swell that hit the Hawaiian Islands the day after Thanksgiving as unexpectedly big and power,” it began. “Forecast models indicated it was going to be big, but it’s always interesting when swell events like this exceed expectations.”
Suspect certainly and more work must be done to uncover whether this “Jake Howard” is real or simply a machine with cute dimples and eyes that melt even the coldest of hearts.
The yeoman’s labor of true, honest, human surf journalism.
More as the story develops.
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Chas, Derick, anyone able to confirm this “Jake Howard” is actually real. I noticed him on my LinkedIn feed this week.
TY
YA
Christ Chas, you know that time you got free entry to the Surf Ranch in 2017? Well Jake Howard was there with you.
we are months away from this not being the case me thinks
Maybe he’s a Replicant.
Survival at Sea (assuming the boat is loaded with every accessory that West Marine, REI, Outerknown money can buy):
1-find the nearest island
2- build fire
3- catch fish
4- scribble SOS in the sand
5- hook-up w/ island girl
6- borrow board
and from the book:
Prevent a mutiny by demonstrating kindness, fairness, and generosity to your crew – keep them fat, drunk, and happy.
Women were once considered bad luck at sea, unless unclad. Hence the nearly naked female figureheads on the bow of sailing ships.
In Teahupoo, Tahiti the waves come up from a 4000-foot depth to break upon a reef that is 5 feet deep. That is some serious energy coming to restat the end of a barrel.
Bananas are also bad luck on a ship.
Amen
I know Jake.
He writes for the local fish wrapper and does some work for SHACC.
I’m AI
negs…give him a badge~and a mid-length…my nickel~
“this is evelyn…leave a spurt~~”
Jake is an actual person—unless of course, we’re all holograms. He’s from NorCal, lives in San Clemente and was once one of the flesh and blood online editors of Surfer magazine – for those of us who can remember when Surfer was an actual magazine.
“are you out cruisian…cause you’re The Ocean is pathetic…:
Thanks!
Chas said it was beautiful, So I still have that. What’s a cruisian?
And can I suggest you pay Chas or ChatGPT to copy edit your posts?
I bought The Ocean. If you would like, you can edit my manuscript, Environment Over Easy: which takes to task questioning the mass media approach that weather is occurring, not climate change. Their recipe is taking eggs, breaking then stirring, and pan frying and serving with a side of mush…scrambling, if you will. Or do you like your’s Over Easy? The Ocean does the same. That’s why you were in my crosshairs. (Negs has my email.) We could share a brew and a roast beef sandwich!
A cruisian is a term used to describe a ill-advised launch from Newport Harbor to an outer island that has ordered its residents to evacuate as a looming, one of a kind hurricane that will landfall in SoCal for the first time ever, with a galley full of beer and two roast beef sandwiches that are consumed before reaching the destination and not realizing that the island surf & turf sunset dinner would be denied then reversing course headlong into said hurricane would delay din din by several hours, (daze…the timeline was sketchy by his blog) and finally feasting back at said harbor…in layman’s terms…A Three Hour Tour That Missed Gilligan’s Island. Now if Chas had read your opus? What say you? He was Cruisian for a bruising!
Now this is more like it. And yes, that was an ill-advised mission. Had he fully digested my Opus, he would have known that. Instead, he was cruisian for a bruisian.
“AI Forever”
He’s most likely a cousin of Devon Howard. Devon is known for being midlength maestro and media personality of some repute – most likely not AI generated.
Lemme get this straight – just a couple days ago the board of the company with the most powerful AI tech in human history is (nearly) totally replaced bc that board thought things were moving a little quick on the AI front, and yet somehow these poor (allegedly) human SI scribes think it’s earth shattering to learn that their overlords are relying on tech smarter than the actual human (outraged) writers to auto-pen a few missives about some random sports event??? Cry me a river … bring on the AI. There’s too little actual surf content as it is — maybe the matrix will do a better job sussing out surf stories worth reading on the regular.
What are these surf stories worth reading on the regular? Italo Ferreira’s skin care routine? Kanoa Igarashi’s trilingualism? It’s low tide out there, friend, and a robot ain’t gonna save you.
there’s a creme for dat~
Comments made at 35000 ft after multiple ipa’s should be read w/ grains of salt
I remember a Blake Howard…goofy footed guy.
That’s why you gotta avoid them at all costs.
🫶🫶🫶
In our hearts, Jen. In our hearts. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
If my memory serves me correctly Jake was actually a graduate of the Stab comments section. Though it may not serve me correctly.
But can we can some Jake Howard/Emily Morgan erotic fan fiction? Written by Chat GPT? Surfads, I summon you!
You laugh now, but every day I marvel at how more and more accurate of a prediction the movie Her was. Even the fashion.
I won’t be happy until I have my hoverboard and my Daryl Hannah mail-order replicant paramour I was promised in the 80s
That reminds me, I still owe people a Power Wankings for female ‘CTers’ masturbation setups…. just need to write it…
Yikes.
owe? see sheep & liquors
What’s funny, if we extrapolate this to the WSL, is that we’d never believe half their employees were human.
Joe Turpel is far less convincing as a human being than A.I.
Mitch Salazar is some kind of AI creation that has a virus.
I always though Shannon was the human version of alt text. Just a constant stream of words describing everything she could see in front of her.
Check you with the TSJ article that just popped through my door! That’s a hell of a time from pitch to publication. Good effort though, look forward to it. Going with the initials as well, ideal.
Haha yeah I’d like to say you were my inspiration but it was actually DC Green. Also just helps keep it seperate from the day job .
Still hasn’t arrived here yet.
Ethan Ewing looks suspiciously like Captain America from The Boys, just saying …
Grade A trolling, Chas. Well done.
Feels good to strap on the helmet, head down to the caves and put in an honest day of trolling.
‘Through rain and windy weather,
Hell-bent for leather,
wishin’ my gal was by my side.’
“Far, far below the deepest delvings of the dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things.”
If he is AI you can write up another article on the topic attacking Stab
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…