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‘Life or Death:’ AI-Generated Mushroom Foraging Books Are All Over Amazon (www.404media.co)

submitted 1 year ago by trashhalo to c/technology

59 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

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[–] the_artic_one@programming.dev 129 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is a disaster waiting to happen, especially when reputable mushroom books look like this

[–] Dee@lemmings.world 40 points 1 year ago

No doubt, this is the best mushroom book imo. It's on my shelf as I type this.

[–] jarfil 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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 49 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

[–] jarfil 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh, now I see it! It's a trombone, half hidden behind his leg, and his fingers under some huge chanterelles... guess that's the joke? What a weird photo.

Never seen that guide, guess it hasn't been translated. We only have some Cantharellus Lutescens around here anyway, which don't look anything like that, so the joke would be lost in translation. Well, TIL.

[–] BlueKittyMeow 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Could you clarify what the joke is? Is there a pun here that I am missing picking up on?

This entire thing is absolutely fascinating.

[–] jarfil 4 points 1 year ago

Chanterelles, start with "chant" as in music, have a trumpet-like cap like the trombone cup, the Latin name Cantharellus is derived from "cantharus" meaning a chalice, cup.

It's only missing having a chorus, a mug, and taking the photo in Chanterelle, France:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanterelle,_Cantal

[–] plzExplainNdetail@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 year ago

Are there any other good mushroom bible books to check out?

[–] lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Oh dear.