An AI-generated article published by Microsoft that was meant to pray tribute to a deceased NBA player called him ‘useless’, prompting widespread criticism and ridicule.

Headlined 'Brandon Hunter useless at 42', the 'offensive', 'incomprehensible', and 'incoherent' MSN article also said Hunter had been 'handed away on the age of 42, described his on-field position as 'a ahead', and claimed he had played in 67 NBA 'video games'.

Microsoft took down the story, refused to apologise, and deflected the blame onto its Portuguese content syndication partner 'Race Track'. 

The incident highlighted the potential pitfalls of relying solely on AI for generating news-related content, especially sensitive content such as obituaries.

It also raised questions about the credibility of Microsoft's claim of ensuring content alignment with its values through "human oversight" of its AI-powered news system.