Apparent AI-generated books on Charlie Kirk's assassination flood Amazon
Apparent AI-generated books centered around the death of Charlie Kirk have been popping up on Amazon mere hours after the conservative activist’s assassination. Amazon removed the books on Thursday evening prior to responding to inquires from Straight Arrow News.
The books, offered both in paperback and in audio format, included titles such as “The Charlie Kirk Shooting: A Nation on Edge” and “THE LEGACY OF CHARLIE KIRK: A Biography of His Rise, His Movement, and His Tragic Death.”
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A description for the first title, which was being sold for $7.99, claimed that the book gave “readers the full story” on not only the assassination but “the quick arrest of the Charlie Kirk shooter.” No arrests have been made as of Thursday evening.
“If you’ve been asking yourself did Charlie Kirk get shot, is Charlie Kirk dead, or following every Charlie Kirk update on Fox News, CNN, and social media, this book is for you,” the description read. “It delivers clear answers, deep reflection, and a hopeful call to action for a safer and more respectful public space.”
The second title was more vague in its description and stated that the book aimed to offer “an intimate look at the man, the movement, and the moment in history that defined his life and death.”
“Kirk’s death stunned the nation and raised urgent questions about political discourse, violence, and the risks faced by public figures in a deeply polarized America,” the second description said.
The author profiles for the books appeared to include other AI-generated content. In a statement to Straight Arrow News, an Amazon spokesperson said that “the title in question is no longer for sale.”
“Don’t Buy. Click bate!”Last year, Amazon introduced a new policy that requires Kindle Direct Publishing users to disclose whether their content is AI generated.
The books on Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking with a crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, outraged supporters. Before their removal, the titles were hit with negative reviews and one star ratings.
“Don’t Buy. Click bate! Published same day? Probably written By AI,” one reviewer wrote. “The date is Sep 11th we still don’t have answers. There is nothing useful here other than someone trying to capitalize on this tragic event.”
The listings also led to conspiracy theories on social media that suggested the books were written and published by humans prior to Kirk’s demise.
“This book either had pre-knowledge of the event, since Charlie was murdered YESTERDAY, or this is a fake book that has no knowledge and no research,” another reviewer wrote. “I’m appalled that Amazon even has it on their book list. Everyone associated ought to be ashamed of themselves!”
An Amazon spokesperson told SAN that a technical issue on the website made some books appear to have been published on Sept. 9, the day before the shooting.
“Due to a technical issue, the date of publication that had been displayed for this title, while it was briefly listed, was incorrect, and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused,” the spokesperson said. “The title was published late in the afternoon on September 10th.”
“An increasing problem”In response to an investigation last month by Sky News that tracked AI-generated books for months, an Amazon spokesperson said that the e-commerce giant has invested “significant time and resources” into ensuring its AI guidelines are followed.
“We aim to provide the best possible shopping, reading, and publishing experience, and we are constantly evaluating developments that impact that experience, which includes the rapid evolution and expansion of generative AI tools,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to enhance our protections against non-compliant content, and our process and guidelines will keep evolving as we see changes in publishing.”
Start your day with fact-based news.Those in the publishing industry, such as Publishers Association chief executive Dan Conway, say AI-generated books continue to be “an increasing problem.”
“The problem is that on the consumer side, it’s really, really difficult to tell the difference often between a properly researched book that covers a topic that you want to read about versus something that’s been spun up incredibly quickly using AI technology,” Conway told Sky News. “And you’ve got some real consumer confusion out there.”
contributed to this report.