Experts are worried that books produced by ChatGPT for sale on Amazon, which target beginner foragers, could end up killing someone.

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.

  • pimento64@sopuli.xyz
    0·
    1 year ago

    In the United States, where I used to travel often and widely, you have to pay for dialysis and it’s extremely expensive. In New York it cost me $1000 a session.

    It’s worth pointing out that this is because the author is a foreign national. Americans with permanent kidney failure are guaranteed Medicare even if they’re under 65, and Medicare part B covers outpatient dialysis in full. Signing that into law is one of the few good things Richard Nixon ever did.

    • liv@beehaw.orgEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      Thanks, interesting. I’m glad America gives everyone dialysis too. I live in a country with universal healthcare, so I sort of skimmed over the cost aspect because that wouldn’t be an issue here.

      It is more the physical, quality-of-life-ruining aspects that give me the horror. I read an article once where a family of 4 all had severe permanent kidney damage from eating the wrong mushrooms.

      • Link.wav [he/him]@beehaw.org
        0·
        1 year ago

        You made your point well. Hell, even if they paid me for the sessions, I feel like it would be such a miserable way to experience life.

        I have a friend who needs dialysis, and it’s really limited her ability to socialize and travel freely.

        • liv@beehaw.orgEnglish
          0·
          1 year ago

          Until I started to see stories like that I thought about fungi in terms of death/not death, and didn’t realize the life-changing injury part in between.

          Your poor friend. To be fair I can’t travel anyway for health reasons, but multiple organ failure still seems worse.

    • roofuskit@kbin.social
      0·
      1 year ago

      It’s also worth pointing out that $1,000 per session cost is probably the least bad thing about dialysis.