The Arena Group, the digital publisher managing Sports Illustrated and The Street, has seen significant leadership changes. Ross Levinsohn, who had been the CEO for three years, was relieved of his duties. His dismissal comes in the wake of an embarrassing fiasco where Sports Illustrated was implicated in publishing articles under fictitious author names, using AI-generated profile pictures.

In recent weeks, revelations emerged that Sports Illustrated had been publishing articles under pseudonymous authors, accompanied by AI-generated profile pictures. These revelations triggered widespread media coverage and internal backlash from the magazine’s staff. The report first surfaced on Futurism, a tech-focused website.

Post the scandal, The Arena Group, which owns Sports Illustrated, took decisive action by dismissing several top executives. However, the company maintained that these departures were unrelated to the AI incident.

Another major development occurred this week, as The Arena Group's board announced the termination of CEO Ross Levinsohn's employment.

Grady Tripp, the senior vice president of the company, informed staff via email, "Ross Levinsohn is no longer with the company and has stepped down from his role as CEO, effective immediately." This followed the exit of three other senior executives the previous week. A press statement regarding this change was also released.

Manoj Bhargava, The Arena Group's major investor, is set to take the reins as interim CEO. During a meeting about the executive shake-up, Bhargava advised staff against unproductive practices and banned PowerPoint presentations.

Following Futurism's initial report, The Arena Group clarified that the AI-generated articles were supplied by AdVon Commerce, a third-party contractor. The company also removed all articles penned by the fictitious authors, although it disputed claims that both the articles and author photos were AI-generated.

Despite these assertions, neither Tripp's email nor the press release referenced the AI scandal directly.

Levinsohn's media career has been marked by leadership roles but marred by controversies, including a hiatus from Tronc amidst sexual harassment lawsuit settlements. He later returned to the professional sphere after these issues were resolved.

Tripp emphasized, "Change, while challenging, is a crucial catalyst for progress. We're committed to steering The Arena towards profitability and success, which we believe will benefit all stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders, and employees."