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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Patrick Greenfield

AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk

An AI-generated image depicting a large black bird with bright orange beak sitting on an iceberg with the northern lights in the background. It is a fake image.
‘Nobody is falling for a toucan sighting in Siberia’ … This image is AI-generated, using ChatGPT. Illustration: ChatGPT

For many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlines. The western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, was spotted in a seaside town in north Wales in June, and widely celebrated on birding forums.

But a new scourge is threatening to disrupt the fun: AI slop.

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