AI-generated ADHD advice books sold on Amazon without disclosure
Amazon is selling books marketed for ADHD management that appear to be AI-generated without disclosure, with an AI detection firm finding eight such titles to have 100% AI authorship scores. Experts warn that chatbots trained on pseudoscience and medical texts could provide dangerous health advice that risks misdiagnosis or worsening conditions.
What happened
Amazon's marketplace is selling books marketed for ADHD management that appear to be authored by chatbots such as ChatGPT without disclosure. Eight books were examined by Originality.ai, which reported a 100% AI detection score for each, indicating high confidence they were written by a chatbot.
The titles include 'Men with Adult ADHD: Highly Effective Techniques for Mastering Focus, Time Management and Overcoming Anxiety' and 'Men with Adult ADHD Diet & Fitness'.
Reported impact
Michael Cook, a computer science researcher at King's College London, warned that generative AI systems trained on pseudoscience, conspiracy theories and fiction alongside medical texts cannot reliably provide accurate information. He stated AI-authored books on health topics could result in misdiagnosis or worsen conditions.
Cook noted that generative AI systems are known to give dangerous advice around ingesting toxic substances, mixing dangerous chemicals, or ignoring health guidelines.
Index analysis
Amazon's marketplace has been described as a 'wild west' due to lack of regulation around AI-produced work, with experts warning that dangerous misinformation risks spreading as a result.
Cook observed that Amazon's business model incentivises publishing AI-generated content regardless of trustworthiness, as the company makes money each time a book is purchased.
Governance controls
Experts said online marketplaces had an ethical responsibility to guard against chatbot-generated work on sensitive topics, but no specific controls or policies from Amazon were reported.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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