The Irish Times has removed an opinion piece from its online site following reports that it may have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Titled, "Irish women's obsession with fake tan is problematic", the article was published on the Irish Times website on Thursday before it was removed from the newspaper's website on Friday.
The opinion piece was published in the Irish Times Opinion section, with the byline Adriana Acosta-Cortez, described as “a 29-year-old healthcare administrator living in North Dublin” originally from Ecuador.
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The article, which was widely debated on Twitter, suggested that when an Irish woman wears fake tan, “she is wearing a costume that allows her to experience a fleeting taste of a more exotic identity, with none of the obstacles people of colour face.”
Furthermore, the article claims that "by artificially darkening skin, fake tanning culture inadvertently perpetuates the fetishisation of high melanin content, without acknowledging the struggles faced by those who naturally possess it.”
The opinion piece drew significant attention online, with many readers raising questions about the use of AI tools in the development of the article.
The Irish Times has since removed the article, which as of Friday morning, was number two on the website's most-read online articles.
In place of the article, the paper has published a statement which reads: "The Irish Times has become aware that the article originally published on this page may not have been genuine.
"The article’s text was removed on Friday, May 12, 2023, and a review has been initiated."
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