--- title: "Experts Worry That AI-Generated Books About Mushroom Foraging Will Get Someone Killed" description: "If you're considering a foray into amateur mushroom foraging, you might want to reconsider shopping for your beginner's guide on Amazon." date: "2023-08-31" modified: "2023-08-31" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-generated-books-mushroom-foraging" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "ai-generated content" - "Amazon" - "the digest" --- # Experts Worry That AI-Generated Books About Mushroom Foraging Will Get Someone Killed ![If you're considering a foray into amateur mushroom foraging, you might want to reconsider shopping for your beginner's guide on Amazon.]() *May, 07, 2021 - Squamish, BC, CAN: A young adult female forages for Oyster Mushrooms in the forest that surrounds the mountain town of Squamish, British Columbia. Using a small knife she cuts the mushrooms off the side of moss covered tree. By cutting the mushroom off (Vs pulling) it allows for it to natural grow back. \Image: Alex Ratson via Getty Images\* ## Phantom Thread If you're considering a foray into amateur mushroom foraging, maybe reconsider shopping for your beginner's guide on Amazon. As the just-launched [*404 Media* reports](), Amazon is riddled with mushroom-foraging guidebooks that strongly appear to be AI-generated. And though [numerous reports]() in [recent months]() have detailed various genres of AI-generated material populating Amazon's digital shelves, experts are warning that this particular flavor of AI-produced garbage might warrant extra concern. "Amazon and other retail outlets have been inundated with AI foraging and identification books," [reads a Sunday X post]() from the New York Mycological Society, [linking back to a PSA]() about the Amazon-hawked books on the subreddit r/mycology. "Please only buy books of known authors and foragers, it can literally mean life or death." ## Fatal Foraging That's not much of a stretch. Some types of mushrooms are extremely poisonous, and as far as hobbies go, fungi foraging can be a dangerous pastime. Generative AI is [known to get its facts wrong](). What happens when a non-expert looking for a quick cash grab publishes an AI-generated fungi guide, and a piece of bad information — be it outright wrong or even just a little too vague — finds its way onto the pages? "There are hundreds of poisonous fungi in North America and several that are deadly," Sigrid Jakob, president of the New York Mycological Society, told *404's* Samantha Cole. "They can look similar to popular edible species." "A poor description in a book," Jakob added, "can mislead someone to eat a poisonous mushroom." Worse, as *404* notes, none of these available books, which feature the formulaic language and almost-definitely fake authors that are becoming hallmarks of such AI-spun ebooks, appear to be marked as AI-generated — an important disclosure that may give a foraging newbie some pause before making a potentially deadly purchase. ## Tip of the Iceberg Though mushroom foraging is a relatively niche hobby, the implications loom large. After all, if scammers are already publishing foraging guides, there's [really no telling]() what else is [already out there](), on Amazon and throughout the web. People could wind up getting astoundingly bad advice or info about things like health or finance, among other consequential topics. In short, buying books online just got way more complicated. Make sure to do your due diligence before you make a purchase — or, if you can, consider shopping at your local bookstore instead. **More on AI-generated books:** [*Seemingly AI-Written Book on Maui Wildfire Becomes Amazon Bestseller, Gets Taken Down*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()