And so the book arrived at our house. I read the 141 pages in two days and it was quite a pleasant publication to read. The style, like the typeface was fluent and easy. However it kept repeating itself and what is more it only gave me a broad brushstroke sense of what our Nile cruise might be like. There were no nitty gritty details about accessing ancient sites such as Edfu temple, particular things to look out for in The Valley of the Kings, potential issues with mosquitoes, the best places to buy souvenirs, cuisine highlights - that sort of thing. In other words the very kind of helpful information one would customarily find in a a guidebook worth its salt.
In "About the Author" at the front of the book it says, "Beverly Macklin is a travel writer, storyteller, and keen observer of culture, drawn to hidden paths and the untold stories that linger behind every winding road, quiet village and bustling street. With a deep respect for local traditions and an attentive eye for practical advice, Beverly creates travel guides that transcend mere itineraries - they invite readers into a journey of understanding, connection and shared curiosity."
But where was this "practical advice" and how come the great Beverly Macklin has left no other traces of her life within the world wide web?
I am almost certain that "Nile River Cruise Travel Guide 2026" was created with the aid of A.I. and equally certain that I, along with many others, have been duped by "people" like "Beverly Macklin". The book was "Printed in the United States of America" but no publishing house is mentioned. After the index, there's a very basic map of the Egyptian Nile but the trouble is - with my copy anyway - that that map is upside down!
But what about the picture of Beverly Macklin at the top of this blogpost? It can be found in "her" Amazon author details. Out of curiosity, I ran a Google image search over it and discovered that this very same woman appears in several publications, websites and nooks and crannies within the internet.
Here she is in the banner of a Brazilian plastic surgery unit in Sao Paulo - Hospital de Olhos...
Not to mention the relatively prolific (now vanished from Amazon) "Esther Coonrod, a travel writer with a passion for uncovering the world's most inspiring journeys. From snow-dusted Christmas villages to winding coastal ...".
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd trust anything written by someone called Esther Coonrod.
DeleteI'll stick to my Rick Steves guidebooks; I know he's real because he lives about an hour and a half away from me.
ReplyDeleteAppalling! What a scam!
ReplyDeleteIn my (worthless?) opinion, AI is getting too big for its boots.
ReplyDeleteUnder EU regulations, it is mandatory to make AI created content (words, pictures, videos) transparent, but I guess this does not apply to the US. Already when I look at my weekly ALDI offers, pictures of dishes cooked with the special offers are marked as AI creations.
ReplyDeleteFor those who work in marketing, large databases exist with AI-generated models, some of which have their own presence on Social Media with large numbers of followers. It would be laughable if it weren't so dangerous, lending itself to many different ways of making money out of people who have no clue (or realise too late) that they have been ripped off.
You've been had!
ReplyDeleteSo AI is a form of plagiarism, and should be shot down immediately. How annoying to pick up a book and find out it doesn't do what it says on the cover.
ReplyDeleteAI is crushing the publishing industry, in so many ways. I'm a freelance medical editor/writer. My company is slowly replacing all of the editorial staff w/a proprietary AI program. Others have already done the same. So many people out of jobs. I am trying to hold on for 2 more years, until I can retire. I'm sure my job will disappear before then, however.
ReplyDeleteAs if life wasn't hard enough, we need to have our wits about us even more now that AI can be used by any old toerag that thinks of a way to rob us of our hard earned.
ReplyDeleteSome self-published books are really worth the read, there is a link to one to the right of this comment, but many are not worth reading.
ReplyDeleteWe've actually been to Trelawnyd. That's about as likely as you having been to Novelty, Ohio.
ReplyDeleteWe are quickly becoming a society based on lies. Or have we already reached that point?
ReplyDeleteIt's like my Chinese clothing! Wankers.
ReplyDeleteThese frauds are very enticing particularly when you are looking for some good information. It was not much money but it's the principle of the issue that matters.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's interesting. Definitely a scam. The awkward subtitle of the book seems like it might be a clue -- "exploring a journey"?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning, Neil! You should get a refund - false advertising...
ReplyDeleteOne detail that disturbs me about that cover is that it uses capitals on every word in the subtitle. Of course that detail alone does not necessarily point to the whole book being "fake" - but still... (?) Anyway, well done by you to look a bit deeper.
ReplyDeleteAI makes me so cross. And it may have been "only" $17 USD for you alone, but think of that amount multiplied many times for all those who trusted in this source. This is a gold mine for someone when you consider all the ways it can be used to cheat people. Gone are the days of the obvious Nigerian email scam; hello to scams not easily identified until after the damage is done.
ReplyDeleteAmazon is full of this AI created slop. Unfortunately these big sellers don't really care. Hopefully you complained and negotiated a refund.
ReplyDelete