Bigfoot's Friend

In the world of artificial intelligence and widespread misinformation, it’s hard to know whether the information you’re reading on the internet is coming from a human, or a computer.

As of late, this has become a potentially fatal problem in the foraging community with AI generated identification guides hitting the market.

A family in the UK was recently poisoned after being misinformed on the edibility of a mushroom which they identified in a field guide they had purchased online.

The family experienced negative side effects after eating the mushrooms and upon further inspection realized that the images and information in the field guide were completely AI generated and inaccurate.

Thankfully the family survived the illnesses caused by the poisonous mushrooms, but this nearly tragic situation should be taken as a cautionary tale to foragers all over the world.

Here are some tips when it comes to purchasing field guides:

• Always verify that the author and publisher are legitimate (some AI guides will have fake author or publisher names listed)
• Check the images closely to identify anything that may look unnatural. Images that look illustrated should be advertised as such.
• Read a few pages, if you can. Some AI generated books will have obvious red flags, like odd phrases or sentences that computers often use. “Can I help you with anything else” or “Does that answer your question?” are not sentences usually put in books by real writers.

The #1 rule of foraging is to practice safety.

With the surplus of knowledge available in our world today, it would be silly to risk your life or safety based on the word of one person (or computer).

This is why I always preach to cross reference everything that you find and to never consume anything you have not thoroughly studied – especially with mushrooms.

If you want some help finding a great reliable mycology field guide, I have a few listed here in my Top 3 Mushroom Foraging Guides (North America)

While foraging is an exciting adventure,  it is crucial to prioritize safety. Seek guidance from experienced foragers and cross reference reliable field guides to ensure proper identification. If you are ever unsure of any plant identification, throw it away. It’s never worth the risk of harming yourself or others if you aren’t positive that what you’ve found is safe for consumption.

I am writing this post not to cause you fear- but in hopes that I can continue to increase your confidence in your own knowledge of foraging safety and to help you empower yourself in your ability to self sustain and survive!

Don’t let the scary world of AI steer you away from the incredible adventures that foraging provides – just use caution, common sense, and safety no matter what your hobby is.

As always, thanks for reading and happy foraging!

-Jess C.