As if the use of AI-generated media wasn’t having enough of a negative impact on the world already, now it’s spawning conspiracy theories about the Maui wildfire—all because some absolute ghoul decided to use AI to publish a book about the fire before the flames were even out.
“Fire and Fury: The Story of the 2023 Maui Fire and Its Implications for Climate Change” was published August 10 on Amazon, midway through the terrible fire that destroyed much of the island and took the lives of at least 115 people (1,000 are still missing). The book, which appears to have been removed from Amazon, has a typical AI-generated profile of the author: a mysterious Dr. Miles Stones of whom no trace can be found on the internet, and whose author bio contains no photo and simply reads, “I’d rather not say.” The 44-page, badly written book is a textbook example of the AI-produced self-published texts proliferating on Amazon right now.
Inexplicably, Fire and Fury has managed to become a bestseller in the environmental science category on Amazon—despite a grand total of 21 reviews, all one-star—and launched a brand new set of climate denying conspiracies as well.
Climate change is a frequent target for conspiracy theorists, and the nature of AI-generated author profiles unfortunately exacerbates the issue. Rather than accept that the alleged writer isn’t a real person, their lack of traceability is attributed to government cover-ups, or a need for the brave, whistleblowing author to hide from government assassins, and so on. What’s set the conspiracy theorists off about this particular pamphlet full of AI nonsense, however, are the dates—namely that the book claims to cover “the events of August 8-11, 2023” even though it was only published on August 10. (I need you, for my own sanity, to imagine the following in the most mocking, spooky voice.) How did the esteemed Dr. Miles Stones know in advance? How was it published so fast? Is something “darker” going on?
There isn’t. There is no Dr. Miles Stones, and no one knew anything about the events of the fires in advance. The book is entirely AI-generated text drawn from news reports—that’s how it was published so fast—and it doesn’t even include any information about events on August 11. No one is sure why the description even mentions August 11, though it probably has something to do with the fact that AI makes a lot of mistakes all the time, right down to inventing events and examples out of thin air and presenting them as fact. AI is not an accurate source for anything because as yet it has no way of distinguishing between disinformation and actual information.
None of this has deterred conspiracy theorists, because why settle for reality when you can make up a fun, often antisemitic story that lets you avoid challenging your pre-existing beliefs about the world?
No, this book is somehow proof that the Hawaii government deliberately set the fires, which itself is proof that their recent decision to limit land purchases by corporations and non-islanders isn’t actually intended to address the serious housing crisis that indigenous Hawaiians are experiencing, but an evil attempt to own all the land themselves instead of letting the billionaires have it as God and Republican Jesus intended. The name Dr. Miles Stones is a reference to a company that creates smart cities, which is a trail-of-breadcrumbs-style clue of course, or possibly just a celebration of this evil milestone in the creation of the NWE (that’s New World Order, for those who aren’t up on the latest conspiracy theories, oh how I envy you). Or it’s an attempt to prove climate change is real, when all good Republicans know it’s a liberal lie to try and force you to buy a Tesla and/or part of the WEF’s (World Economic Forum, a real organization that does not match up to the conspiracy fiction) COVID-fueled Great Reset?
Even Hunter Biden and Barack Obama are somehow involved! A previous Miles Stones publication was apparently a “softball” piece on Hunter Biden, so naturally, in conspiracy world, that means something.
It’s ridiculous, but it’s not funny. Real people are suffering, at least 115 people have died, and some asshole (in my extremely professional, journalistic opinion) decided to profit off of it using the plagiarism engine that’s making it even harder than before for people to find genuine information, and now this pack of assholes is using it to fuel their anti-science, right wing conspiracy theories. Literally everyone loses here, including the jackass that decided to publish this “book,” because when it comes down to it, they’ll still have to live on this rapidly cooking planet with an increasingly reactionary public.
Just stop using generative AI, stop profiting off of tragedies, and stop trying to pretend climate change isn’t real; or that attempts to limit harm done to marginalized people are some sort of conspiracy against your own inalienable rights. There is no Great Reset, there is no NWE, and while the fires on Maui may have been mishandled, they were not a deliberate attempt to clear the island for unspecified dark purposes. Attempting to turn their deaths into conspiracy fodder like this is the height of disrespect. And while you’re at it, donate to local groups in Hawaii trying to help provide for the displaced locals and restore the damage done to the island—especially if you’ve contributed to any of this.
(featured image: Amazon)
