"Google Serving AI-Generated Images of Mushrooms Could Have 'Devastating Consequences'", 24 September 2024

Google is serving AI-generated images of mushrooms when users search for some species, a risky and potentially fatal error for foragers who are trying to figure out what mushrooms are safe to eat. 

The AI images were flagged by the moderator of the r/mycology Reddit community, dedicated to “the love of fungi,” including, “hunting, foraging, [and] cultivation.” The moderator, who goes by MycoMutant, noticed that when they searched for the Coprinus comatus a fungus commonly known as shaggy ink cap or shaggy mane, the first image in the Google snippet, which is featured above the search results, was an AI-generated image that looked nothing like a real Coprinus comatus.

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MycoMutant told me in a direct message that as a fungi enthusiast and moderator of the r/mycology they have seen Google snippets feature incorrect images for certain species many times, and cited a Reddit thread he posted two years ago where Google featured an incorrect image for Sepula that was not AI-generated.  

“At the time I posted that I attempted to alert Google to the issue since this was not the only incorrect mushroom photo I had encountered in the snippets,” MycoMutant told me. 

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Elan Trybuch, the secretary of the New York Mycological Society, also told me in an email that the AI-generated images of mushrooms could be dangerous.

"Not only are many folks visual learners, but with the speed in which information is disseminated folks are relying more on instant feedback, and nothing does this better than a reference photo," Trybuch told me. "The problem is, many of these photos look 'close enough' to the real deal. While this can have devastating consequences, I think for the most part its just going to add confusion as to: What is real?"

Trybuch also said that Google needs to do more to flag these images as AI-generated and remove them.

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“We have protections in place to provide a high quality experience, and we continue to work to strengthen these quality guardrails,” a Google spokesperson told 404 Media. “When we receive user feedback about potential issues, we work to make systemic improvements."

Google serving an AI-generated image of a mushroom as if it was a real species is highlighting two problem with AI-generated content we’ve covered previously: Potentially wrong and dangerous information being presented as fact, and Google search inability to sort through all the AI-generated content that has flooded the internet and tell users what is real and what isn’t. 

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