Should online retailers put more effort into the editorial process for AI books?
(13 Sept 2025) Each month, between 10,000 and 40,000 e-books are released that utilize ChatGPT or other AI platforms. However, the actual number of AI books that do not disclose their use is likely higher.
Things are so bad at Amazon that they have started limiting the number of e-books that can be submitted daily on their Kindle Direct Publishing platform to stem the floodgates. However, AI authors bypass this by distributing their work on Smashwords or Draft2Digital, and these books are not only pushed out to Amazon, but also to Kobo, Apple, and Barnes and Noble.
One of the most prolific cases of AI e-books is regarding mushrooms. A series of mushroom-picking books was submitted to Amazon, and several poisonous ones were incorrectly listed as safe to eat. Furthermore, the books contained misinformation stating that boiling a poisonous mushroom makes it safe to eat. This made worldwide news and was the only reason Amazon took action to remove them. It is only a matter of time before another book like this kills someone.
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