Experts are worried that books produced by ChatGPT for sale on Amazon, which target beginner foragers, could end up killing someone.

Many mushroom identification and foraging books being sold on Amazon are likely generated by AI with no human authorship. These books could provide dangerous misinformation and potentially lead to deaths if people eat poisonous mushrooms based on the AI’s inaccurate descriptions. Two New York mushroom societies have warned about the risks of AI-generated foraging guides. Experts note that safely identifying wild mushrooms requires careful research and experience that an AI system does not have. Amazon has since removed some books flagged as AI-generated, but more may exist. Detecting AI-generated books and authors can be difficult as the systems can fabricate author bios and images. Relying on multiple credible sources, as well as guidance from local foraging groups, is advised for safely pursuing mushroom foraging.

  • FarceMultiplier@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    That is truly a terrible idea, and Amazon should be liable since they do exercise control over what they sell (which I know, because I have two books for sale there).

    • jarfil@beehaw.org
      1·
      1 year ago

      Wait… is that a joke? AI mistake, guy with a trumpet for a hand, or weird photo angle? Now I’m confused 😯

      • Wereduck@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        1 year ago

        Heh no that’s the mushroom forager’s bible right there, going back many years, it’s assigned reading for mycology students and very reputable. It’s funny how much it looks ML generated, but it well predates ML image generation. For reference, he’s holding a flesh colored mushroom and a trumpet.

  • rayyyy@kbin.social
    0·
    1 year ago

    This is my experience so don’t rely on it: Most mushrooms won’t kill you but some will make you so sick that you wished you died. Even a small bite of the deadly Destroying Angle will most likely not kill you. Only eat a very small amount of a new-to-you mushroom because even safe ones may trigger a fatal allergic reaction, also “safe” Morel mushrooms have killed people who really, really over consumed them.
    Get a real “National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms”, book and download the “Seek” app for your phone. Find a person who experienced and go slow. NEVER get careless or over confident.