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Remember when everyone was meming about AI mushroom books poisoning people? (www.reddit.com)

submitted 4 months ago by pja@awful.systems to c/techtakes@awful.systems

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Looks like it might actually have happened.

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[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If this turns out to be real, I suspect its gonna be a major shitshow - not only for the publisher, but for the AI industry as a whole.

For the publisher, they're gonna be lambasted for endangering people's lives for a quick AI-printed buck.

For AI, its gonna be yet another indictment of an industry that's seen fit to put technology, profits, basically everything over human lives - whether in the "AI Safety" criti-hype which implicitly suggests culpability for bringing about an apocalypse straight out of sci-fi, or in the myriad ways they are making the world worse right now.

[–] gerikson@awful.systems 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If it turns out to be read. I have my doubts.

[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Update: Whilst the the story's veracity remains unconfirmed as of this writing, it has gone on to become a shitshow for the AI industry anyways - turns out the story got posted on Twitter and proceeded to go viral.

Assuming its fabricated, I suspect OP took their cues from this 404 Media report made a year ago, which warned about the flood of ChatGPT-generated mycology books and their potentially fatal effects.

As for people believing it, I'm not shocked - the AI bubble has caused widespread harm to basically every aspect of society, and the AI industry is viewed (rightfully so, I'd say) as having willingly caused said harm by developing and releasing AI systems, and as utterly unrepentant about it.

Additionally, those who use AI are viewed (once again, rightfully so) as unrepentant scumbags of the highest order, entirely willing to defraud and hurt others to make a quick buck.

With both those in mind, I wouldn't blame anyone for immediately believing it.

[–] FredFig@awful.systems 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I usually dislike the whole line of thinking of "Well, it might not be true, but it tells you something that you believed it."

But, the world in which AI succeeds is the world where every book published is a fake field guide to mushrooms, or a recipe book for shaving cream. And it's like... I dunno, after 4 years of happily proclaiming that this is the thing we're going to sell, why have these guys never considered that fraud is bad, actually. Is fully automated luxury gay space fraud really so enticing?

[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 3 points 4 months ago

I dunno, after 4 years of happily proclaiming that this is the thing we’re going to sell, why have these guys never considered that fraud is bad, actually. Is fully automated luxury gay space fraud really so enticing?

It is if you expect to make an absolute crapload of money off of it and have absolutely zero soul. And, well, its the AI industry - anyone with a soul probably left a couple years ago.