Sask. mushroom pickers sound alarm on dangerously misleading AI-generated books

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

When Donovan Thiesson came crossed a caller publication astir mushroom picking successful Saskatchewan, helium didn't expect having to pass radical against speechmaking it.

Thiesson, an avid forager and mushroom adept from Meadow Lake, runs a Facebook radical astir mushroom picking. Late past period 1 of his users alerted him to a caller publication being sold connected Amazon, Edible Wild Mushrooms of Saskatchewan.

After speechmaking lone a fewer paragraphs of the book, Thiesson became alarmed.

"It's perfectly unspeakable and inaccurate," helium said. "First off, it's missing Chapter 7. There are mushrooms with the incorrect photos, and determination are large inaccuracies astir the edibility of definite mushrooms.

"To accidental that chaotic mushrooms successful Saskatchewan tin beryllium eaten ignores the information that there's a bully fig that volition termination you."

Thiesson says helium instantly suspected the publication was AI-generated.

The CBC collaborated with Originality.ai, an Ontario-based steadfast that detects AI-produced content, to trial Thiesson's theory. A illustration from the decision of the publication scored a 100 per cent connected the site's AI detector. 

The book's author, Victor Howard, was selling different digital-only mushroom picking publication connected Amazon, Edible and medicinal plants for the elderlies [sic]. Both person present been removed from the site, but tin beryllium recovered nether the author's Goodreads profile.

The books were self-published, and nary different accusation astir Howard was disposable connected either website.

According to Amazon's guidelines, AI-generated contented specified arsenic books and artwork whitethorn beryllium sold as long arsenic the seller discloses that information to buyers. However, it leaves verification up to its customers.

In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Tim Gillman said the tract is proactive successful uncovering radical who interruption its rules.

"We put important clip and resources to guarantee our guidelines are followed, and region books that bash not adhere to those guidelines," helium said.

More AI-generated books showing up online

Jonathan Degen, the CEO of the Writers Union of Canada, says he's seeing much and much AI-generated books popular up online.

"It highlights the benignant of utmost occupation that we're dealing with close present successful presumption of controlling intelligence spot wrong our penning and publishing industry," helium said.

"We person ever seen fake books," Degen said, referring to earlier practices of fraudsters copying Wikipedia pages of celebrated figures and selling them arsenic unauthorized biographies. "Now, I conjecture they don't person to spell to a Wikipedia leafage to conscionable drawback each that content. They tin make the contented themselves."

Some organizations are warring back.

In January the American Writers Guild launched a "human authored" certification that authors tin usage successful their books and selling materials to verify their quality origins. 

"The quality authored inaugural isn't astir rejecting exertion — it's astir creating transparency, acknowledging the reader's tendency for quality connection, and celebrating the uniquely quality elements of storytelling," Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger said erstwhile the task was announced.

At the infinitesimal the certification is lone disposable to members of the guild, and lone for books written by a azygous author.

According to Raluca Albu, the guild's manager of communications, much than 2,000 titles person been registered to date.

"I would accidental the immense bulk of publication consumers are not truly funny successful AI-generated content," Degen said. "Everybody is conscionable playing drawback up close now. What we truly request is for the AI developers to amusement a full batch much bully religion and say, 'Yeah, these are problems.'"