AI-Generated Mushroom Book Sparks Concern Over Accuracy and Public Safety
A Manitoba professor is raising the alarm after discovering a suspicious mushroom guidebook on Amazon that he believes was generated by artificial intelligence. Alexandre Brassard, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Université de Saint-Boniface and president of the Winnipeg Mycological Society, flagged the book after a student brought it to his attention.
The book, titled “Mushrooms of Manitoba: A Fungal Odyssey Through the Heart of Canada” by Jay O. Mark, claimed to be a guide to the province’s mushrooms but raised several red flags. Brassard, an experienced mushroom forager, found the content severely lacking, with only 15 species of mushrooms described in detail, far short of Manitoba’s approximately 3,000 species.
AI Concerns Raised Over Content Quality and Public Safety
Brassard’s concerns deepened after noticing key deadly species like amanitas and lepiotas were missing from the book entirely. Additionally, the writing style was inconsistent and unnatural, leading Brassard to suspect that the book was AI-generated. “It’s like something had been translated by Google Translate,” he remarked, adding that no legitimate mycologist would use such language.
As an expert in identifying AI-generated work, Brassard warned that incorrect information about mushrooms could have dangerous consequences. “In Manitoba, we have over 200 poisonous species, with around 20 being deadly poisonous,” he cautioned. “A mistake could be fatal.”
Amazon Delists the Book After Community Uproar
After posting his concerns on social media and leaving a review on Amazon, the book went viral within the Winnipeg mycological community. Soon after, the book was delisted from Amazon, though Brassard never received an explanation for its removal.
David Gerhard, head of the University of Manitoba’s computer science department, also confirmed the telltale signs of AI-generated material in the book. He advises consumers to be cautious of self-published books with few reviews, generic text, and unverified author credentials.
Source: Swifteradio.com
