Amazon Removes AI-Generated Biographies of Scottish Politicians
AI-generated biographies of Scottish National Party politicians containing false biographical claims were sold on Amazon before the retailer removed them following media reports. Experts warned the content could be used to spread disinformation ahead of upcoming elections.
What happened
AI-generated biographies of SNP politicians John Swinney, Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf were listed for sale on Amazon. A book about Swinney falsely claimed he was born in Ohio to a Polish mother named Kazimiera and had been a teacher, none of which is true. Other books contained false claims about Sturgeon and Yousaf's families, grammatical errors and bizarre sentence formulations.
Amazon removed the books after the Times reported on their false claims and the BBC inquired about them. The firm said it removed books that violated its content guidelines.
Reported impact
Readers described one book as 'terrible' and lacking 'any detail or substance', with an average rating of 1.3 out of five stars. Concerns were raised that AI-generated biographies could be used to undermine the reputation of political candidates before Scotland's 2026 Holyrood election.
Index analysis
According to the Alan Turing Institute, generative AI allows users to automate creation of full-length books about politicians. Text-based AI content lacks the obvious cues present in videos or images, making it harder for readers to identify fabricated biographies and increasing their potential persuasive effect.
Governance controls
Amazon has content guidelines against such material and removed books in violation of them when notified.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.