Let me start by saving you the trip to Dictionary.com, apocryphal has a few definitions, but in this case I’m leaning into the ‘of doubtful authenticity’ interpretation. AI (artificial intelligence) is one of the biggest buzzwords of the last couple years, and while the acronym can be applied to a huge (and growing) list of tools and tasks, the mere coupling of the letters ‘A’ and ‘I’ strikes fear into the hearts and minds of millions. I recently conducted a Google search for the ‘top AI jobs in demand today’ and one of them was AI Ethicist; I had to laugh at that one. The opportunity for ethics in AI was missed the second these tools were put under the fingers of the public, but that’s a subject for another… magazine. I should also add that I recognize that AI has its upsides, with the potential to cure diseases and see solutions to other problems that humans might not root out for decades… just stick with me here.
Luckily, AI has not made a big splash yet in our corner of the angling world but experts are already warning that as much as 90% of the content we see online will be AI generated by the end of 2026; so it’s coming. Let me draw a quick line in the sand here and say that you will not see that kind of editorial content coming from The Fisherman Magazine. But, while AI in the ‘artificial intelligence’ arena has not yet made much of a dent in the fishing content Northeast anglers consume, at least as far as I have seen, we are seeing a different kind of AI content leeching into our feeds on a daily basis.
And that’s where my coined phrase ‘apocryphal intelligence’ comes from. Social media has spawned this unquenchable thirst for views and engagement; it seems like everyone thinks they’re going to find a way to become the Mr. Beast of Northeast fishing. But as hopeful anglers dig deeper into understanding the algorithms that boost the posts of the chosen few, it all siphons back to engagement, so posting a faked photo, gets a ton of engagement, because – positive or negative – the algorithm only ‘cares about’ activity on the post.
So we’re seeing otherwise good people, who are perfectly competent anglers, throwing their reputations into this dumpster fire of poorly-altered photos. All this for the fantastical hope of striking the impossible combination that leads from competent angler to well-paid, self-made superstar; and they’ll do just about anything if they believe it will lead them closer to achieving that goal. When you look at it that way, it’s kind of sad.
Seen from another angle, it’s tragically hilarious and there are social media accounts devoted to highlighting these photos and outing their authors. Sometimes they go too far, which is, honestly, just as bad, but most of the time, they’re on the nose. It’s not that hard to do, if you have a basic understanding of how to use Photoshop, you can cut out your fish, make it appear larger and superimpose it back into your hands. But now, with apps that utilize some of the basic AI photo editing tools, you don’t need to be able to do much more than draw a circle around something you want changed, augmented, removed or embellished… and the app will provide auto-options to do the rest. Luckily it’s pretty easy to spot a faked photo, because there’s always a hand that’s way too big or an arm that’s way too long, or a fin that makes no sense, or an eye that’s all ‘ovaled’ out. Anyone with an eye for fish and photography can see it, and once you’ve been outed, everything you’ve posted, or post in the future, will be tarnished by public doubt.
I made one faked striper photo for an article I wrote for this very magazine a decade ago, it was about hunting for a world record striper and if I thought it was possible to catch that fish from the surf. As amusing as it was to create that pic, I find myself repeatedly regretting it as other people find it and repost it. The caption from that photo read something like “This FAKE PHOTO shows what a surf-caught word record striped bass might look like.” Of course, the caption never seems to follow the reposts. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this new era of faked photo engagement, it’s just how fragile and vital a person’s reputation really is, how quickly it’s possible to destroy it and that it can never be put back to whole. No matter what you think you might get in trade, the soul of your reputation just isn’t worth it.
