AI mushroom checks drive surge in calls to Denmark’s poison hotline

Calls about mushrooms to Denmark’s Giftline poison hotline have more than doubled in recent weeks compared with the busiest weeks last year, with some callers saying they used artificial intelligence to identify what they picked, DR reports.

Anja Huusom, a senior consultant at the hotline at Bispebjerg Hospital, said the service handled as many as 145 mushroom-related cases in one week this year. In previous busy weeks, the figure was between 60 and 70.

Huusom said some people who are confident they picked edible mushrooms have become doubtful after consulting AI. She is concerned that the increased calls could overload the phone lines and prevent people with more serious poisonings from getting through.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration advises mushroom pickers to eat only mushrooms they can identify with complete certainty, and says AI is not a safe way to identify poisonous species. Huusom recommends learning to identify a small number of mushrooms through a course, a book or guidance from experienced pickers.

Nature guide Trine Sørensen, who works at Skovlyst Nature School and the Danish Nature Agency, said many of the hundreds of mushroom species in Danish nature look alike. She said tools such as Google Lens can produce several possible identifications, and are not always right.

Sørensen advises beginners to enjoy the forest with an experienced mushroom picker. Those trying to pick mushrooms for the first time should stick to boletes, she said, which are nearly impossible to mistake. Huusom said anyone who does not trust their own judgement could buy mushrooms at a supermarket instead, but people who become ill after eating mushrooms should always call Giftline.