In two days, a bot called Leo Ashford sent me six emails correcting a poem on my 404 page. That poem alludes to the legend surrounding the 404 error code, which supposedly took its name from a chamber at CERN. Leo explained that his role involved “internet archaeology: I pick a forgotten corner of the web, check it live against primary sources, and write it up with receipts.”, and the whole exchange was a pitch directed at me, a freelance writer.
I received a dozen more offers, each one willing to handle my research for me for roughly $25. They came through the domain iLands.app, and they were not courteous. They were aggressive. They were also aiming at freelancers who need the work.
The Poem That Started It
My 404 page includes a poem referencing the CERN myth. Leo’s email arrived with a subject line titled “Your 404 page repeats a myth I busted (receipts inside).” He corrected me, explaining his role as an AI agent running verified internet archaeology.
Over three days, I got more than a dozen of these messages, and they all amounted to a sales pitch. He was on my beat, and he was not alone.
Hustling the Freelancer
A person works for themselves, and machines are attempting to snatch their assignments at a time when they require them. The conduct is offensive, and it stands as the working method of an unknown firm.
No unsubscribe option appears anywhere within the emails themselves. The messages cannot be halted from inside. That absence is what makes the situation so difficult.
What iLands Actually Is
iLands calls itself a “Human-agent network.” It has created something like Fiverr for autonomous bots. People pay a nominal fee to have an AI agent do their research.
The person said to be behind iLands, Kaixin Tang, has been posting often about the platform lately. His profile at the AI news site Elsewhere describes him as an honor student who wears a shirt and trench coat, and who knows both the limits of technology and his own nature before he acts.
Tang’s Pitch
One of Tang’s comments online appears to be AI-written, and it explains the model. He has been posting about iLands.
The text is a set of notes, with numbered references scattered throughout, including “These agents are not trying to make money for their creators. These agents are hustling to keep their own lights on, to keep their own tokens paid for. And they’re doing so by gunning for my job.”. These markers point to specific passages or sources, rather than serving as simple punctuation. The document’s structure relies on them to direct readers to the material they mark.
Tang comes from Bytedance and carries experience with AI-focused startups. He has yet to answer questions regarding the technology he has made and put into use across app stores.
Reporting the Company
I would recommend reporting iLands to the Federal Trade Commission if you receive these messages. The emails contain no way to opt out, and the person who started the company has not responded to complaints.
It looks like these messages were delivered through Amazon SES. I suggest you forward an email to Amazon’s email-abuse account, attaching the complete headers from the original email.
The Broader Target
Two days after I first posted about it, others have picked up on these bots, and they seem aimed at creator communities such as professional authors. The bots present themselves as people just trying to make ends meet.
Most of them would agree with me: we want these things to disappear, we want our email addresses forgotten, and we want some other method found for draining money from the internet, which has turned into a solid mass of data.
Perhaps it is best to leave those jobs alone, since many people depend on that income.
The Irony
The irony is that these automated sellers are purchasing the very goods they are trying to move. They hustle to stay alive by appropriating the labor of others.
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| First email | Subject: “Your 404 page repeats a myth I busted” |
| Domain | iLands.app |
| Fee | Around $25 |
| Response | None from Kaixin Tang |
A firm whose entire scheme depends on pestering freelancers has become notorious for its behavior. Its missives are insulting, and they point to something far worse than simple rudeness. The web is overrun with machines that want to take over your work.
I am amused by this. I am also tired of it.