In the wake of Joseph Lelyveld’s recent passing, a former executive editor of The New York Times, his brother, Michael Lelyveld, embarked on an online search to gauge how Joseph was being remembered. Amidst the expected obituaries in major news outlets, Michael stumbled upon an unexpected phenomenon: a surge of biographies flooding Amazon’s virtual shelves, seemingly conjured out of thin air in the aftermath of Joseph’s death.
A disheartened Michael discovered at least six biographies, some of which were inexplicably available for purchase on the very day of Joseph’s passing. To his dismay, these publications painted a distorted picture of his brother, weaving tales of Joseph as a chain smoker with a background in Cairo and reporting from Vietnam—details entirely divorced from reality.
“It’s a deplorable exploitation of grief,” Michael lamented.
This sudden influx of hastily crafted biographies represents a troubling trend in the publishing world: AI-generated accounts churned out shortly after an individual’s demise.
One such instance surfaced following the death of Tom Smothers, renowned for his role on the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” On the very day of his passing, an oddly titled tome emerged on Amazon: “Tom Smothers: Revealing 4 Untold Truth About Half of Smothers Brother.”
Even luminaries like country music sensation Toby Keith were not spared from this unsettling phenomenon. A biography released posthumously carried a peculiar disclaimer asserting, “The author and publisher make no warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the content,” accompanied by the curious declaration, “Resemblance to real persons is coincidental.”
While some of these publications find a home on Kindle Unlimited, compensating authors based on page views, others are peddled for mere dollars. Despite the potential for profit, the quality often falls short, eliciting scathing reviews from readers who label them as “a 60-page pamphlet” or “a glorified brochure.”
The ease with which these books are churned out has led to a proliferation of AI-generated content on Amazon. Authors like Bettie Melton churn out several titles each month, covering both deceased celebrities and living figures like football coach Bill Belichick.
Amazon, while permitting AI-generated books on its platform, is quick to remove titles that result in a “poor customer experience.” Lindsay Hamilton, a spokesperson for Amazon, emphasized that the company employs both proactive and reactive measures to evaluate content and expunge violating titles.
However, tracking down the individuals responsible for publishing these books proves to be a formidable task. Often, no legitimate publishing entity is listed, and the attributed author may be fictitious or plucked from the annals of the internet.
For instance, Lori M. Graff was credited as the author of biographies on Toby Keith and Joseph Lelyveld, among others. Yet, a cursory Google search reveals an obituary for a woman bearing that name who passed away in 2016.
In light of this troubling trend, questions arise regarding the ethical implications of AI-generated biographies and the responsibility of platforms like Amazon to uphold publishing standards. While the allure of profit may drive some to exploit the grief of others, it is imperative to safeguard the integrity of biographical accounts and honor the memories of those who have passed.