Amazon Is Filled with AI Book Slop (www.rollingstone.com)

In a troubling revelation, journalist Talia Lavin discovered multiple AI-generated knockoff versions of her book, *Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America*, available on Amazon. This issue highlights a larger trend within Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform, where opportunistic users exploit generative AI to create and sell dubious imitations of newly released titles, often misrepresenting them with misleading titles and content. Authors like Lavin and Cory Doctorow emphasize that this not only diverts potential income from legitimate creators but also deceives readers, compromising the integrity of the online book marketplace. As KDP has grown popular among independent authors, it has simultaneously opened floodgates for fraudulent publications, especially those that skirt copyright laws by leveraging "fair use" loopholes. The ease with which these AI knockoffs are created and sold raises significant concerns about Amazon's content moderation practices. Many authors contend that reporting these violations is an uphill battle, leading to persistent frustration and feeling of violation. Given that this phenomenon reflects a broader trend of "enshittification," where platforms become less user-friendly over time, the AI/ML community must grapple with ethical considerations and the responsibilities of tech companies in maintaining content integrity and protecting original works.