Yahoo Sports is not shying away from their use of artificial intelligence (AI) with their most recent fantasy sports content pieces. Following Andy Behrens’ departure from the publication late last week, several posts have begun appearing on the Yahoo Sports fantasy sports website, leading with an admission that the written content was created “with the assistance of Castmagic.”
According to its website, Castmagic is an artificial intelligence content tool that assists creators with written, podcast, and social content creation. Moreover, utilizing a Google search, Yahoo Sports has been using the Castmagic tool for several months in coverage of the NFL, NBA, and, most recently, fantasy sports coverage.
Each article posted to Yahoo Sports using the Castmagic AI leads with a disclaimer that reads: “This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an artificial intelligence tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.”
Noted fantasy expert Paul Charachian was the first to point out Yahoo Sports’ most recent use of Castmagic following the dismissal of Behrens and fellow fantasy sports analyst Dalton Del Don. Subsequently, this post was picked up by independent fantasy sports analyst Josh Larky, who shared his disappointment with the direction that Yahoo Sports has taken.
“Yahoo laid off two of its longest tenured (and prominent) analysts last week,” tweeted Larky. “Time to develop a backup plan if you’re working in this industry.”
The use of artificial intelligence is nothing new for sports media—or media in general. In fact, with cost cutting leading to widespread job reductions, there’s a growing demand for content production every day. According to a survey by Trint, which is an AI-powered transcription tool, over 42% of journalists surveyed said they are using generative AI tools at work that are not licensed by their company.
UPDATE (6:40pm): A Yahoo Sports spokesperson has provided the following statement to Barrett Media regarding the company’s use to AI with their online content.
“Our editorial team has been using an AI tool since the end of February to deliver written summaries of our podcasts. In each instance, these summaries are edited and published by a member of our editorial team and our use of the AI tool is disclosed at the beginning of the article. We will continue to invest in our content team and have exciting plans in place for the upcoming fantasy football season. We look forward to sharing more soon.”
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Dalton and Andy are the backbones of my fantasy intriguness and ultimately my fantasy success.