Opinion | Talking buildings and Pixar-like avatars: Cleveland Plain Dealer AI videos draw criticism

In a notable escalation of Cleveland.com’s use of generative artificial intelligence, the newsroom has debuted AI avatars on social media

Posted Friday, April 24, 2026 9:43 am

Alex Mahadevan, Angie Drobnic Holan, Amaris Castillo, TyLisa Johnson, Kerwin Speight, Angela Fu and Jennifer Orsi | Poynter

The Plain Dealer is again facing criticism for its use of generative artificial intelligence.

Two months after drawing national attention for using AI to draft news stories, the 184-year-old newspaper’s digital arm, Cleveland.com, has introduced AI-generated videos on social media — complete with a cartoon mascot named T.T., ostensibly short for Terminal Tower, a local landmark.

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Opinion | Talking buildings and Pixar-like avatars: Cleveland Plain Dealer AI videos draw criticism

In a notable escalation of Cleveland.com’s use of generative artificial intelligence, the newsroom has debuted AI avatars on social media

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