Buckingham Palace is considering taking legal action after the release of books containing misinformation about King Charles III, written using artificial intelligence. Source: Wikimedia Commons. File:Prince Charles 2012.jpg – Wikimedia Commons
Buckingham Palace is considering taking legal action after the release of books containing misinformation about King Charles III, written using artificial intelligence.
In the days after King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, AI-generated books appeared for sale on Amazon, falsely alleging specific details about King Charles’ medical condition.
The books contained speculation about the type of cancer King Charles has, and unfounded claims about him undergoing surgery and experiencing side effects of chemotherapy.
The books were sold alongside legitimate royal biographies, and included titles such as Behind Palace Walls: The Untold Secrets and Truths Of The Cancer Diagnoses Of Kings Charles & George, and King Charles III & His Fears.
In one passage he was said to have felt “fear, anger and despair” on hearing his cancer diagnosis, and another passage wrote of how his prostate cancer was at “moderate risk” of spreading.
Buckingham Palace has previously stated that King Charles does not have prostate cancer.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told the Mail on Sunday, “Any such titles speculating about His Majesty’s diagnosis and treatment are intrusive, insensitive and filled with inaccuracies.
“Our legal team will be looking at the issue closely. We call on any individuals or organisations facilitating their sale to withdraw them immediately.”
Royal insiders and commentators have expressed outrage and disappointment, criticising Amazon for allowing the spread of “disturbing and fake” texts that “capitalised” on the King’s diagnosis.
Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said, “It’s in extremely bad taste for these books to be published by Amazon, especially as they share unhelpful misinformation”.
“This will inevitably be upsetting for the Royal Family. These AI books should be regulated and labelled, so we know they are irresponsible publications rather than well-researched, legitimate works.”
Amazon has since deleted several of the “insensitive” AI books on its platform.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “We take this issue extremely seriously. We have removed a number of titles that violated our guidelines and continue to review others to ensure our high standards are maintained. We have content guidelines governing which books can be listed for sale and promptly investigate any book when a concern is raised.
“While we allow AI-generated content, we don’t allow AI-generated content that violates our content guidelines.”
