An Auckland convenience store is in the midst of an ongoing online battle after inadvertently allowing its website to be edited by the general public.
The store […] found itself advertising, among other things, a “pair of crusty socks”, a “Princess Diana Commemorative Plate”, and “National Parks to the highest bidder”.
The store’s site uses Base44, a “no-code AI platform” that allows users to build web applications, but it has been left open for the public to edit.
At one point, while items were being added for sale, the website’s operator appeared to be arguing with the public, with one item saying “stop hacking us”. An item popped up in response saying “don’t use an AI site builder then.”
I don’t think AI was the problem here. It was someone who didn’t know what they were doing using AI and not bothering to learn what the AI did.
Like hiring a jr developer, giving them Prod access and telling them to have fun and make a site.
pot-ay-to pot-ah-to
The problem here is people offering a service for sale, when that service is manifestly not fit for purpose and indeed is unsafe to use.