What has AI Done For You/To You Lately?

Move Over, "Dr. Google"

I’m well aware I’ve been using AI for years as I search the internet for relevant information. Search engines are just big bots out there somewhere crunching key words in milliseconds and spitting it back at you, right? Harmless and potentially helpful - as long as you retain your critical thinking abilities. Well, maybe as long as you retain your ethics too!

There’s been a lot of chatter lately among authors and illustrators about AI infringement of their intellectual property. I’ve been keeping my head down hoping for the best, but I had a funny/weird incident with Chat GPT recently, and then an ongoing/not at all funny conundrum advertised on Amazon over the past two weekends.

First, the ChatGPT: I am not a techno queen. But my neighbor is. She has encouraged me a couple of times to “let ChatGPT do that for you.” She’s not talking about me getting help snazzing up my writing process or content. Recently, I wanted to put together a one-page media kit (because an author is supposed to have one of those nowadays, apparently), and I didn’t know how to put the pieces together. So I downloaded the app and asked ChatGPT to use the home page of my website to put together a one-page media kit with my headshot (available on my home page), and my newly released book cover (also there). The bot response was “Sure, I can do that for you” - it actually responds this way - and asked me to send my headshot and a photo of the book cover. I did as instructed. I’m easy that way. Within seconds, I had a one-page media sheet with the new book cover photograph, but featuring the title of a previous book of mine. Hmmmm. Further, my headshot, inexplicably, had been altered. Apparently, ChatGPT didn’t think I needed a neck. And my real mouth and teeth were deemed way too small, and thus enlarged (rather grotesquely, IMHO). It was pretty hysterical, although unnerving. I cursed, deleted the suggested media kit, and deleted Chat GPT.

Now for the conundrum on Amazon: My new book is entitled Before I Lose my Own Mind. I've kept my head in the sand about AI, hoping for the best. Alas, last weekend, when I was checking my Amazon site for reviews, I noticed a "book" directly below mine, entitled "Biography of Beverly E. Thorn, including Amazing Insights For Before I Lose My Own Mind" (and it has included a photo of me on the front cover of this alleged biography - a professional headshot of about 10 years ago). At least the headshot had not been given the ChatGPT once-over! The "Publisher" was listed as "Olivehood". I called Amazon (twice), and by Sunday afternoon, the so-called biography had been taken down. This weekend, the same thing with a different "publisher" ("Langston Publications") was up again. Neither seem to be real publishers. The "read sample" is mostly accurate, but is a creepy AI rendition of my professional life, and with their reiteration of themes and text, paints me as sort of a Mother Teresa type. That ain’t me! And as of this morning, there is now a German edition of the so-called biography on Amazon, although it’s listed as “currently unavailable.” Can’t wait! They may be ready to multiply like bunnies!

My publisher said this happens from time to time, and it's like playing whack-a-mole. I’m hoping that potential readers are smart enough to smell a rat and avoid purchasing my “biography.” I hope no one thinks I hired this out and had this done! I’m tempted to buy a copy just to see what “amazing insights” they gleaned from their AI training on my book and then vomited out in 70 pages. But I refuse to do that lest it feed the beast. I have since learned at least the following, although it won’t have a bearing on the above mishaps: 1) to change the settings on my Substack privacy settings page that opts out of allowing AI training on my writing, and 2) to add a statement regarding my copyright that “This content is not available for AI training. All rights reserved,” and 3) to explore how to block bots on my website. Thank you to Henry Kurkowski, an Authors Guild colleague, for that information (citation below). I agree with him, that the problem is not AI (except for that inexplicably altered headshot - that I’m pinning on AI), but the ethics of the people behind it. We may be on life support in terms of the ethics prognosis.

Note

https://drbeverlythorn.com

This content is not available for AI training. All rights reserved.

Resources

https://www.writersdigest.com/how-writers-can-protect-their-work-from-ai-exploitation (Author, Henry Kurkowski)