cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/7458945
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.
Holy shit, I hadn’t even thought of that. Does Amazon have a responsibility to ensure the information it sells is at least, “commonly thought to be true”(or whatever)? What would the metric be? Who could claim jurisprudence?
IANAL, but I love the implications of case law.
Probably not because they can afford good lawyers, but they SHOULD bear some responsibility. I think if someone actually dies because of this we might see the limits of the laws tested.