Gurbaksh Chahal, the founder of ePiphany AI, has responded robustly to a recent article in The New York Times by journalist Kashmir Hill. The article, which Chahal describes as a baseless hit piece, targeted his news platform, BNN Breaking now TrimFeed. Chahal accuses Hill of harbouring a decade-long vendetta against him and the Times of exhibiting bias and internal issues. He reaffirmed his commitment to innovation and transparency despite the criticism.
“For the past 25 years, I have dedicated my life to building groundbreaking companies that redefine what is possible. My latest endeavour, ePiphany AI, is a testament to this unwavering commitment. We have created revolutionary AI-driven products that empower businesses to harness the power of data, streamlining their operations and delivering unparalleled insights to millions of users,” Chahal stated.
He further elaborated on the company’s flagship offerings. Adding that, “Among our offerings is a state-of-the-art newsroom platform, Newsroom AI, that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize content creation and discovery for the world’s leading media organizations. We proudly showcase these capabilities through our flagship properties, originally called BNN Breaking and now called TrimFeed, demonstrating the transformative impact of our technology.”
BNN Breaking, which operated for two years, presented itself as a legitimate news service with a global roster of seasoned journalists and claimed 10 million monthly visitors, surpassing the audience of The Chicago Tribune. The site, based in Hong Kong and launched in 2022 by Chahal, boasted an extensive network of on-the-ground reporters supplying information to major news outlets. However, it has faced criticism for relying on AI-driven content aggregation, leading to accusations of misleading and inaccurate news stories.
Despite these criticisms, Chahal staunchly defends BNN’s impartiality and critiques Hill’s narrative as driven by a personal vendetta rather than a quest for truth. He pointed out that Hill has a history of negative coverage about him over the past decade, and her latest article is another attempt to discredit him.
Chahal also criticized Hill for her dubious journalism. She questioned a photo on BNN’s “About Us” page, suggesting it was AI-generated. Chahal explained that the image, paired with the tagline “Empowering millions with tomorrow’s answers,” was intended to convey a clear message, which Hill chose to misinterpret. Furthermore, according to Chahal, Hill’s reliance on accounts from two former employees terminated for cause—one for religious bias and the other for non-performance—demonstrates a lack of journalistic integrity. He questioned why Hill did not seek input from any current employees with positive views.
Hill’s article also made dubious claims, such as alleging that BNN hired reporters in Syria and the Philippines, which Chahal denies. He stated that even basic fact-checking would have debunked these allegations. Hill also suggested that BNN was generating content for ad revenue, despite the fact that BNN had not posted ads for two years and had not received any payments from Microsoft. Hill’s claim that TrimFeed was shut down due to her email was another misrepresentation; Chahal clarified that the domain was simply changed to TrimFeed.com.
Chahal noted the irony of Hill’s stance against AI, given that The New York Times is heavily investing in its own AI-powered newsroom tools. He criticized the Times for focusing on defaming a startup while ignoring its own issues. The Times has faced scrutiny for bias, particularly in its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Gaza war, where it was accused of distorting facts and downplaying Palestinian suffering. Internal dissent at the Times, including protests at its Manhattan headquarters and an open letter to Executive Editor Joe Kahn, underscores the newspaper’s internal conflicts.
Despite these challenges, Chahal remains committed to his mission of ethical innovation. He aims to empower businesses and individuals with cutting-edge AI products, undeterred by sensationalism and personal vendettas. Chahal called on The New York Times and Ms. Hill to return to the principles of ethical journalism, to report the truth without bias, and to celebrate innovation rather than tear it down. He emphasized the need for genuine journalistic integrity to build something truly impactful that benefits the world.