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.

      • gullible@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Is there a way to see specific reviews of sellers or is it strictly a star system? I love the site design, it doesn’t e n d l e s s l y dick around with you like amazon’s current setup.

      • frog 🐸@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        Ooooh, thanks for this! They have a UK site too, and they have second-hand books. I already did most of my college textbook shopping on AbeBooks (owned by Amazon), but if Alibris have the other ones I need, phase 2 will happen there.

      • Link.wav [he/him]@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        I’m really excited about this, thanks.

        They’ve even got a music section with lots of vinyl!

        I buy most of my books from ebay (or AK Press for serious stuff), but this is even better!