319

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

submitted 10 months ago by trashhalo@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

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.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] jarfil@beehaw.org 16 points 10 months 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 49 points 10 months 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.

[-] jarfil@beehaw.org 11 points 10 months ago

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@beehaw.org 4 points 10 months ago

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@beehaw.org 4 points 10 months 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