Metacritic deletes Resident Evil Requiem review written by generative AI and issues warning

Some gaming sites have begun to embrace generative AI, prompting Metacritic to respond. Readers spotted a suspicious Resident Evil Requiem review on Videogamer.com, an outlet once considered reputable. After complaints from fans, Metacritic has removed the submission. In addition, it issued a strong condemnation of AI writing tools.

How to recognize AI writing

Observers likely won’t need an AI detector to conclude that something is off with the Videogamer article. Awkward word choices dominate the review of Capcom’s anticipated survival horror game. What’s lacking is any coherent insight from a human who guided Grace and Leon through the dangerous Raccoon City.

It wasn’t long before skeptics realized that the author, Brian Merrygold, doesn’t exist. The avatar’s image file blatantly references ChatGPT in its name. His biography raises more doubts, boasting greater expertise with gambling topics than gaming. As Kotaku reports, the emphasis on casinos and betting is not coincidental.

ClickOut Media, which embraces gambling content, acquired Videogamer several years ago. More recently, the company laid off most of its staff and replaced articles with features produced by generative AI. Not surprisingly, the Resident Evil Requiem review isn’t the only evaluation of a game contrived by machine learning.

Will Metacritic eventually surrender to AI?

Recognizing that the incident could undermine its credibility, Metacritic was quick to respond. On social media, journalist Alex Donaldson shared a reminder sent to critics. It reiterated that no AI writing would be allowed on the resource, and any offending site risks a permanent ban.

The aggregator will continue to face challenges as generative AI reshapes journalism. Currently, the tools aren’t always able to convincingly imitate humans, particularly in opinion pieces. However, that may not be the case as the technology grows more sophisticated.

The deleted 9/10 Resident Evil Requiem review from Videogamer didn’t have much impact on the game’s average score. It currently sits at 88, the highest mark in the Capcom survival horror series since Resident Evil 4.