The Miami Herald Bot Is Back, Baby

A day after New Times inquired about the Miami Herald Bot's disappearance, the robo-reporter re-emerged.

August 5, 2024

"Prepare to be informed, humanoids." New Times AI-assisted artist's conception

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It hath risen.

Roughly 255 days after it last made a peep on the Miami Herald's website, the Miami Herald's bot has respawned. On August 2, a story appeared on the site from a new, yet seemingly familiar byline: the Miami Herald Hurricane Bot. "Friday, Aug 02: Latest updates from the NHC on Potential Tropical Cyclone," the headline reads.

We know, we know, this isn't our OG Miami Herald Bot. This one seemingly has its own beat. Some would even say it has a fancier name.

But while it's unclear what prompted The Return of The Bot (and whether this answers our question about whether it received a promotion), it notably reappeared on the site a day after New Times inquired about its whereabouts.

Neither the newspaper's executive editor, Alex Mena, nor a spokesperson for the McClatchy Company, which owns the Herald, responded to questions about whether the bot is back for good.

Back in October 2021, the Herald joined a growing list of news organizations to enlist artificial intelligence writing tools. The bot went on to author hundreds of stories for Miami's daily newspaper of record, covering real estate sales, storm updates, and even dabbling in food reporting.

However, not all of the bot's articles made sense. For instance, one story it authored in 2021 with the headline "Brickell-area, Florida house sells for $825,000" was not about a house in Brickell — but instead about a home in Opa-locka.

Around November 2023, the bot's byline abruptly stopped appearing on the paper's website. After posting a story on November 21, 2023 with the headline, "5 houses were sold in Miami Beach area last week. This list shows the most expensive," it disappeared for nine months.

And then, at 11 a.m. on August 2, it rose again, this time as a meticulous weather reporter covering Hurricane Debby.

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Alex DeLuca is a Miami New Times staff writer who focuses on news, crime, and public safety, education, and cannabis. Prior to joining New Times in June 2020, Alex worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and freelanced for The Appeal. She holds a bachelor's degree from the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.

Contact: Alex DeLuca

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Twitter: @alexldeluca