Sports Illustrated facing fresh AI controversy after plagiarism accusations

The once-iconic Sports Illustrated brand is back in uncomfortable territory regarding AI-generated content.

According to reports from Futurism and Awful Announcing, SI recently removed a writer profile and wiped much of its prediction-market vertical after accusations that an article had effectively plagiarized reporting from Sportico.

The controversy centered on a story bylined Parker Loverich that reportedly mirrored original reporting by Sportico on prediction-market company Kalshi.

Sportico reporter Dan Bernstein publicly accused SI of “stealing entire stories from people without credit, seemingly using AI.”

Soon afterward, the article disappeared. So did the writer’s profile.

Sports Illustrated later released a statement saying Loverich was “a real reporter,” but acknowledged a violation of editorial guidelines involving AI use and announced it had cut ties with the publisher overseeing that vertical.

The situation immediately revived memories of SI’s 2023 AI scandal, when reports surfaced that the company had published articles under fake AI-generated author identities.

And honestly, this is the part that matters most to sports fans and readers: trust.

Because whether it’s NBA coverage, NFL rumors or betting analysis, readers increasingly want to know there’s still an actual human behind the reporting, sourcing and writing.

That’s especially true in an era when AI-generated aggregation is flooding search engines and social feeds daily.

For longtime sports readers, it’s another strange chapter for one of the most recognizable brands in sports media history.