Publishing Under Threat: AI-Generated Texts Flood Book Market, Authors Demand Compensation
The rise of AI technology has brought about new challenges in the publishing industry, as authors find themselves battling against a flood of AI-generated texts infiltrating the book market. This surge in AI-written content has sparked concerns among writers who fear for the future of their craft. They are now demanding compensation for the unauthorized use of their work in training AI models.
The issue first came to light when science fiction magazines reported a significant increase in AI-generated submissions. It appears that side-hustle influencers were advising their followers to use AI to generate short stories and attempt to sell them, under the assumption that this would lead to substantial profits. This resulted in a staggering influx of fraudulent submissions to literary magazines, undermining the legitimacy of the publishing process.
Moreover, the Author’s Guild raised another alarming concern. Many large language models are trained on text obtained from shadow libraries—collections of pirated books. This raises questions about copyright infringement and the usage of copyrighted material for AI programming. The Author’s Guild called on AI companies to seek permission for using copyrighted work, compensate authors for past and ongoing use of their work in AI training, and provide further compensation for the use of their work in AI-generated output.
The situation escalated further when individuals started selling AI-generated ebooks on platforms like Amazon. Exploiting a numbers game strategy, these side hustlers leveraged AI technology to rapidly produce multiple books targeted at specific niches. This led to instances where AI-generated books were attributed to legitimate authors, tricking unsuspecting readers into purchasing them.
While these fraudulent practices are not entirely new, the scale at which they are now occurring is unprecedented, thanks to the ease and mass-production capabilities provided by AI. Authors Christopher Golden, Richard Kadrey, and Sarah Silverman took legal action against OpenAI and Meta, alleging that their books were used without consent as part of the AI training sets.
During the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival, author Geraldine Brooks emphasized the need for authors to stand up against this threat to their livelihoods, expressing concern over the absence of AI-related clauses in contracts.
Amidst this tense environment, a website called Prosecraft emerged, causing further uproar. The website ranked books based on various factors, such as word count, usage of passive voice, adjectives, and the vividness of language. Although Prosecraft did not employ AI, it faced backlash from authors who perceived it as yet another encroachment on their intellectual property. Following a social media backlash, the creator of Prosecraft, Benji Smith, took the website down.
Ironically, while AI-generated content continues to pose challenges for authors, the publishing industry itself is struggling with low profit margins. According to a survey by the Authors Guild, the median annual income for authors has been decreasing, with only a small percentage deriving 100 percent of their income from book-related sources.
The proliferation of AI as a tool for scammers and side hustlers threatens to exacerbate the financial struggles faced by authors. Writing, often undervalued as a passion rather than a profession, finds itself targeted by those seeking to exploit AI for personal gain.
As AI continues to evolve, it is crucial to address the ethical and legal dimensions of its utilization in the literary world. Balancing the interests of authors, publishers, and AI developers will be vital in shaping a sustainable future for the industry. Until then, authors are left grappling with the challenges posed by AI-generated texts infiltrating the market, demanding fair compensation for their work and protection of their intellectual property rights.
