DeepSummary
The episode discusses the phenomenon of 'garbage books' on Amazon's Kindle marketplace. These are low-quality books generated by AI or cheap ghost writers, designed to capitalize on trending book searches with misleading titles and covers. The Vox correspondent Amanda Lewellyn investigates the issue and finds an ecosystem of people teaching courses on how to create and sell these garbage books for profit.
One key figure is 'Big Luca', who teaches a class with access to a secret group for buying fake reviews. Former students Christian and Rasmus Mickelson took it further, using AI translation to create foreign editions and making six figures before being banned. They now sell courses themselves, promising tools like keyword scrapers and cheap ghostwriters to generate books quickly.
While not illegal, the practice exploits society's respect for books and spreads misinformation. Amazon has taken some steps to limit it, but faces the conflict of curbing problematic content versus allowing sales that generate revenue. The phenomenon raises concerns over the commercialization and devaluation of books and knowledge.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- There is an underground ecosystem producing low-quality 'garbage books' to misleadingly profit off trending book searches on Amazon's Kindle store.
- These books use AI generation, cheap labor like ghost writers, and tactics like fake reviews to create titles mimicking real books for a fraction of the cost.
- While not illegal, this practice exploits society's respect for books and can spread potentially dangerous misinformation.
- Amazon has taken some steps to limit garbage books but faces a conflict of interest in allowing content that generates revenue.
- The phenomenon raises concerns over the devaluation of books, knowledge and the ethics around emerging AI capabilities being exploited for profit.
- The episode exposes specific individuals and companies at the center of teaching and profiting from these unethical garbage book practices.
- Consumers need to be cautious when purchasing books online to avoid being misled by these deceptive tactics employed by opportunists.
- The rise of garbage books exemplifies broader issues around lack of accountability, spread of misinformation and commercial exploitation enabled by new technologies.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “So the trash book is going to have a plausible enough title that if you're reading quickly, it'll look like what you're looking for. It'll have kind of a cheap and weird looking cover, a lot of clip art and really shoddy Photoshop kind of smashed together.“ by Amanda Lewellyn
- “You'll sort of feel like you're reading a pretty okay 8th grade essay.“ by Amanda Lewellyn
- “In other words, someone else does the work, but we get paid. That's how the whole model works.“ by Rasmus Mickelson
- “It also means that we have to be really, really careful with what we're reading because there are kind of literal dangers that are also in place here.“ by Amanda Lewellyn
Entities
Company
Person
Product
Book
Service
Episode Information
Today, Explained
Vox
5/17/24