We should all now be asking a similar question about the news media: "Is it real, or is it artificial intelligence?" 

According to The Verge:

... 90 percent of newsrooms are already using some form of AI in news production, 80 percent in news distribution, and 75 percent in news gathering. News gathering tasks include automated transcription and translation, extracting text from images, and scraping the web or using automated summarization tools. News production could include translating articles into other languages, proofreading, writing headlines, or writing full articles.Distribution includes using AI-driven search engine optimization as well as things like tailoring content to a specific audience. [Emphasis added]

Now, to be completely transparent, PJ Media uses some AI tools to improve efficiency and writing. For example, we often use an AI tool that generates transcripts of speeches and interviews, and we use Grammarly to do our spellchecking. Those are proper uses of AI in a media environment and a far cry from "writing full articles." 

Everything changes when media outlets use AI to write their articles, a practice that is on the rise.

NewsGuard claims to have identified "676 AI-generated news and information sites operating with little to no human oversight." 

According to The Conversation: 

Generative AI is becoming accessible and affordable. This makes it attractive to commercial news businesses, which have been reeling from losses of revenue. As such, we’re now seeing AI “write” news stories, saving companies from having to pay journalist salaries.

In June, News Corp executive chair Michael Miller revealed the company had a small team that produced about 3,000 articles a week using AI.