Faces of Fakery: AI-made experts are infiltrating UK news - and publishers must pick a lane

Faces of fakery: What AI "experts" mean for PR and how to respond

Fake and AI-generated experts are slipping into UK media - and PR is often the delivery vehicle. Press Gazette's latest research suggests that as many as one in ten quoted "experts" may not exist. Too many quotes are PR-created. Too few are verified.

We're watching two online realities split apart. One is bland, unverified content propped up by SEO tactics. The other is human-made, edited, and accountable. PR teams will be forced to pick a side. Choose trust - or watch hard-won relationships and rankings decay.

What the investigation surfaced

Press Gazette's Faces of Fakery highlights AI-generated personas getting real media placements. Examples include perfume writer Esme Gelder (AI byline image and written work) and travel expert Jessie Chambers (AI headshot and articles). Another "sex expert" used photos of a porn actor while operating under a different name.

Reach titles feature prominently in the analysis. To its credit, Reach is engaging to fix it. The takeaway for PR: publishers are tightening checks. If your pitches aren't verifiable, they'll soon be un-runnable.

Why this matters for PR and comms

• Trust is your currency. Fake faces burn years of media goodwill in a day.
• Short-term SEO gains turn into long-term risk: takedowns, blacklists, and brand damage.
• Newsrooms will increase friction. More proof, more vetting, more declines.
• Legal exposure rises if claims or identities are fabricated or misrepresented.

The verification playbook for PR teams

• Set a zero-fakery policy: No AI headshots. No invented bios. No "ghost experts."
• Identity and credential checks: Confirm real names, job titles, and current employer via company email and switchboard. Cross-check LinkedIn, company bios, professional registers (GMC/NMC/GPhC), ORCID for academics, and Companies House for directors.
• Image due diligence: Reverse-image search every headshot (Google/Yandex). Request 10-15s selfie video or live verification on first engagement. Keep a verified asset log.
• Quote provenance: Keep a source-of-truth: transcripts, call notes, dates, and who approved what. If a PR drafted a quote, say so in notes to editors.
• Substance over spin: Provide methods, data sources, and contactable experts who can go on-air. Fluff is a red flag; detail builds confidence.
• Schema and bios that stand up: Publish expert pages with credentials, publications, and real-world affiliations. Keep them updated and consistent across channels.
• Crisis protocol: If an identity is questioned, freeze pitching, notify publishers, issue corrections, and replace assets fast. Document the fix.
• Governance: Quarterly audits of experts you pitch. Mandatory sign-off for any AI use in content workflows. Train teams on verification basics.

Pitch smarter: What editors will look for now

• Verifiable expertise: Accessible expert, discoverable footprint, and consistent history.
• Specificity: Data, comparisons, and on-the-record commentary that adds something new.
• Speed without shortcuts: Offer rapid media availability, not synthetic quotes.
• Clean assets: Original images, rights-cleared, with context and captions.

Market shifts PR should act on

1) Immediate launches IX: live experiences meet content

Immediate (publisher of Radio Times, BBC Good Food, BBC Gardeners' World) has launched IX, an "experiential agency" blending content marketing and events. Think cruises tied to Gardeners' World or pop-up bars co-created with Good Food. Director Rob Hunt's brief: new revenue streams across 24 titles.

• PR move: pair earned media with measurable experiences. Build media moments that audiences can touch, not just scroll past.
• What to bring: a clear conversion path (sign-ups, trials, sales) and on-site content capture for sustained coverage.

2) Atria: six UK magazine groups build a unified ad platform

Online ads with UK magazines fell 5% year on year in 2024 to £273m, while the broader market grew. Six majors have teamed up on Atria to offer scale and an engaged audience alternative to Meta/Google. Titles include Good Food, Empire, Time Out, and Men's Health.

• PR move: blend paid placements across Atria with earned angles. Test creative in attentive contexts where brand lift actually sticks.
• Message to finance: this is not about reach alone - it's attention quality and category fit.

3) ChatGPT ads roll out; Amazon eyes AI content licensing

OpenAI has started showing ads to free and Go users in the US. The company says ads won't influence answers and conversations stay private from advertisers. Coverage via TechCrunch.

• PR move: expect new discovery paths for branded content via conversational interfaces. Think Q&A-ready assets and plain-language summaries.

Amazon is reportedly preparing a marketplace for publishers to license content to AI providers. Report via Reuters.

• PR move: review rights, syndication, and revenue-sharing terms with legal. Your owned content may soon be inventory.

News in brief (for PR teams)

• Big Issue has made its two top digital editors redundant amid a restructure. Potential shift in commissioning paths.
• The Independent appointed Barney Henderson (ex-Newsweek) as UK editor; Chloe Hubbard moves to the Mirror as editor-in-chief.
• Patrick Foulis (ex-Economist foreign editor) joins the Financial Times as a contributing editor on geopolitics and markets.
• The Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor steps down after a decade in role; open process for successor.
• The Athletic is investing in live blogs with video to stay ahead of chatbots scraping real-time updates.
• Ofcom's founding standards director criticised the decision not to investigate a GB News Trump interview on climate claims.
• MoJ ordered Courtsdesk to delete a large court-records archive used by 1,500+ journalists - expect sourcing gaps.
• A 71-year-old man who stalked BBC Scotland's Anne McAlpine has been ordered to stay away for life.
• Italian sports journalists at Rai Sport plan protests after commentary errors during the Milano Cortina opening ceremony.

Top reads this week

• Five US news giants show growth paths despite WaPo cuts: digital ads, video, and subs momentum across NYT, Bloomberg, People Inc, and Dow Jones.
• Carole Cadwalladr's letter to laid-off Washington Post staffers: there is life after a big-brand exit.
• RAJAR Q4 2025/Q1 2026: Talk and GB News post strong audience gains.
• Will Lewis exits as Washington Post CEO days after mass layoffs.
• "Search isn't dead, it's fragmenting": don't bet everything on Google; diversify discovery.

Latest podcast: Building a $40m newsroom in three years

Semafor hit profitability in 2025 with $40m in revenue. Co-founder Ben Smith explained why the initial push into video didn't stick, how a clean product mix and newsletter discipline paid off, and why there's still no paywall.

• PR takeaway: tight formats and clear value props win. Keep pitches short, data-backed, and written for newsletters, briefings, and explainers.

Bottom line for PR leaders

AI fakery isn't a media problem. It's a trust problem - and that's our backyard. Put verification and proof at the center of your workflow, or your brand will pay for it later.

If your team needs a fast upgrade on AI literacy, verification workflows, and prompt policies, explore these curated learning paths: AI Learning Path for Training & Development Managers and AI Learning Path for Business Unit Managers.

Marketing teams building AI-safe content ops can also review resources tagged AI for Marketing.