At the start of 2023, a Russian IT company posted a resume on HeadHunter for a news editor named Olga Petrova, a persona created entirely by a neural network. The firm, Reedus, used a virtual employee to explore how a print journalist might handle daily tasks. The aim was to test whether machine generated content could keep pace with real newsroom rhythms while preserving a human touch.
Olga Petrova was tasked with selecting the latest informational events and ensuring each text reached a minimum of 70 percent uniqueness. A typical day was planned to include 10 to 12 notes, each of unspecified length, while the virtual collaborator did not need to curate visuals. The company did not disclose which requests originated from the neural network operator, but Petrova described the resulting texts as often resembling machine translations, lacking fluency and natural phrasing.
Editors pointed to inconsistencies in tone and style. Petrova’s entries sometimes displayed two different spellings of the same surname and inconsistent rendering of institution names. Sentences could feel heavy and awkward, with verbs appearing in unusual forms and phrases like “elected as leader” or “issues raised” feeling forced in context. The network also leaned on adverbs that readers found unnecessary, with feedback noting expressions such as “too much concentrated.” These observations underscored the challenge of balancing automated precision with the smooth cadence expected in professional journalism.
Despite these limitations, the evaluation did not dismiss the possibility that carefully crafted prompts and targeted requests could address many textual issues. Structured prompts might guide the neural assistant toward more accurate terminology, clearer sentence construction, and more consistent naming conventions, yielding material that reads as publishable over time. The test demonstrated how a well managed AI workflow could augment human editors when properly directed, rather than replacing them entirely.
In related developments, notable music artists Drake and The Weeknd released a joint track described as a viral moment. The collaboration illustrated how modern creators can leverage synthetic or cross media formats to spark public interest and conversation. This example served as a reminder that machine generated content, when combined with human curation, can contribute to broader storytelling strategies and audience engagement. It also highlighted the ongoing discussion about authenticity, originality, and the evolving roles of human editors within media ecosystems as the industry continues to adapt to new technologies, workflows, and ethical considerations.