You won’t find these on the shelf. Newspapers print an AI-generated reading list with fake books.

Ah, summer. The perfect time to get lost in a romantasy — or finally pick up Proust or Middlemarch.

The Chicago Sun-Times, the city’s second-biggest newspaper, recommended some summer books to its readers in a special insert over the weekend. And, as first spotted by an eagle-eyed book podcaster, the list is a much bigger gaffe than getting sand in a library book. Jason Koebler for the worker-owned tech publication 404 Media:

The article, called “Summer Reading list for 2025,” suggests reading Tidewater by Isabel Allende, a “multigenerational saga set in a coastal town where magical realism meets environmental activism. Allende’s first climate fiction novel explores how one family confronts rising sea levels while uncovering long-buried secrets.” It also suggests reading The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir, “another science-driven thriller” by the author of The Martian. “This time, the story follows a programmer who discovers that an AI system has developed consciousness—and has been secretly influencing global events for years.” Neither of these books exist, and many of the books on the list either do not exist or were written by other authors than the ones they are attributed to.

The author of the unbylined piece, Marco Buscaglia, confirmed to Koebler that he used AI to generate the list.

“I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses,” Buscaglia said to 404 Media. “On me 100 percent and I’m completely embarrassed.”

The 64-page insert — “Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer” — has also been printed in The Philadelphia Inquirer, according to freelance writer and editor Joshua Friedman. Friedman also identified additional (presumably AI-generated) errors in other sections in the insert. “In an initial spot-check, I’m having trouble confirming any of the quotes,” Friedman said.

I’m afraid I’ve confirmed that The Philadelphia Inquirer ran the same “Heat Index” supplement that the Chicago Sun-Times did

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— Joshua J. Friedman (@joshuajfriedman.com) May 20, 2025 at 10:47 AM

On Reddit, Sun-Times readers noted recent buy-outs and cuts at the newspaper now owned by the nonprofit Chicago Public Media. Several were interested in the AI-hallucinated title The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir — “Have to admit that is an intriguing book title” and “I’d read it” — but mostly, commenters were mad.

“Do they use AI consistently in their work? How did the editors … not catch this?” Reddit user xxxlovelit wrote. “As a subscriber, I am livid! What is the point of subscribing to a hard copy paper if they are just going to include AI slop too!?”

The gaffe comes after years of cuts to books coverage. The New York Times maintains a robust standalone book section and publications like The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic have expanded books coverage in recent years. But the overall trend is quite dire.

Our summer reading list will be online later this week. 100% real books!!

— John Williams (@johnwilliams.bsky.social) May 20, 2025 at 10:59 AM

I worked in book publishing for years. Every time I sent out review copies, it felt like I got more and more bouncebacks or word that the book editor got laid off — and no replacement was coming. Journalist Adam Morgan recently tallied just seven full-time staff book critics working in the United States. (The New York Times employs about 7% of American newspaper employees. If Morgan’s tally is correct, the Times employs more than 40% of its full-time staff book critics.) There are many more critics working as freelancers or part-time.

On Tuesday, The Chicago Sun-Times acknowledged the error-ridden insert and said it was looking into “how this made it into print.” The “Heat Index” section was made by King Features, a subsidiary of the magazine company Hearst, 404 Media reported.

“It is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom,” the Sun-Times wrote. “We value your trust in our reporting and take this very seriously.”

A Chicago Public Media spokesperson added it would reconsider its arrangement with King Features. “We are committed to producing journalism that’s accurate, ethical, and human,” said vice president of marketing and communications Victor Lim.

This article has been updated.