Hundreds of authors urge publishers to restrict AI in content creation, citing threats to intellectual property, job security, and creative integrity.
An open letter from authors such as Lauren Groff, Lev Grossman, R.F. Kuang, Dennis Lehane, and Geoffrey Maguire urges book publishers to commit to restricting their use of AI tools, such as exclusively hiring human audiobook narrators.
The letter contends that AI companies have “stolen” authors’ work: “Instead of compensating writers with a small portion of the revenue generated by their work, another individual will receive payment for a technology based on our unpaid labor.”
The authors urge publishers to “pledge that they will never release books created by machine” and “not replace their human staff with AI tools or degrade their positions into AI monitors,” among other commitments.
Although a remarkable list of writers signed the initial letter, NPR reports that 1,100 signatures were added within 24 hours of publication.
Additionally, authors are pursuing legal action against technology companies for using their works to train AI models. However, federal justices recently rendered substantial rulings against these lawsuits.
