Human Creativity Faces an Identity and Authenticity Crisis
Is the book publishing industry willing and able to defend the autonomy of human authors?
When the first AI co-authoring scandals emerge, how will the publishing industry respond, with its increasing reliance on an author’s personal image and online stance on contemporary issues?
What will happen when faithful readers, idolising their favourite writers, lose faith in what they read, and wonder if the words they love might have come from a machine? What level of cancellation will be fostered by such suspicions?
"How do I know they really wrote that, and didn't simply magic-up some prompt lines? Can I still be bothered to queue for their signature? Do I still want to hear about their inspiration for their latest book?"
When the TikTok book police falsely decide an author is a traitor to their purist cause, what will be the latter’s fate? What will it do to an author's spirit when the technology becomes so good that, when they do write excellent prose, they're accused of using an AI tool? There will be little incentive to strive for excellence in their craft, no matter their passion or the book’s content, when flames from this latest incarnation of textual heresy is always flickering at their feet, all too ready to damn their creative soul.
How will it fare for writers to be still awkwardly thrust into promoting their work via book launches, promotional tours and online interviews when such chaos is all about them?
We are running - or being dragged - into a dark technological tunnel, with no ability to sense any light at its far end - if it has one. Perhaps our singular fate is indeed a post-human state of mind, but I’m in no doubt humanity’s most creative elements will fight the disruption hammering on their doors; authors, artists and musicians alike passionately rejecting the greatest ever threat to assail them.
“I've spied some casual words on the cusp of interesting times.
“The burgeoning text-to-image/video AIs are developing artistic traits of their own. And when there are thousands of them? Millions? When they spawn themselves? #justlikeus
“When (not if) these #AIArtwork tools invert – images & videos prompting natural prose & verse – the refreshing honesty displayed below won't be so prevalent. These hidden writers' ghosts will #kindle a towering babble of #textunlimited.”
The book publishing industry will simultaneously face an equally consequential crisis of identity and authenticity. The rise of AI authoring tools threatens to undermine the value and meaning of human creativity and expression. Fiction, literature, self-help, motivational books all depend on the unique voice and vision of the author, who engages with their readers through their words. But what if their story is not really their own? What if it was partly or wholly generated by a machine? What if the publisher was unaware of this?
The AI tools used to mimic human creativity shouldn’t be touted as technological innovators or saviours. They are a cultural threat. They challenge our notions of authorship and creativity, threaten to diminish quality and originality, and pose readership trust issues regarding author identity and authenticity. They are forcing us, not for the first time in history, to ponder that timeless existential question: what makes us human (or, less loftily, a creator or a consumer)?
Academics and philosophers will continue to trawl fruitlessly for fresh answers as we succumb to this latest wave of transhuman realisation. Publishers will struggle to contain or appropriately adopt technology in a timely way, as they have with previous waves of change. But authors and their ilk shouldn’t be abandoned to answer these questions with conviction and courage from their more precarious domestic redoubts.
These are not hypothetical scenarios. It’s already happening. AI authoring tools, either standalone or in support of a writer, are becoming more accessible and sophisticated, enabling anyone to produce texts that mimic the style and content of their favourite writers. Some authors may use these tools as a shortcut to fame and fortune, without disclosing their use of artificial assistance. Some may use them as a supplement to their own imagination, without acknowledging their debt to a machine. Others may use them as a challenge to their own skills, without realising the implications for their craft. As with book pricing and broad adoption of drive-to-the-bottom marketing strategies, many won’t care at all about the long-term effects of their actions.
But the most dangerous group won’t be the authors. They’ll be the hidden aggregators, secretive cloners and dispersed metadata spoofers, inhabiting bot-driven virtual publishing mills of the most dubious kind, immune from the outdated reach of legal takedowns and financial restitution.
“The publishing industry needs to take a stand against this plague of AI-washed creativity, and defend the dignity and autonomy of human authors.”
The consequences of this trend are dire for both authors and readers. Authors who use AI tools risk losing their integrity and originality, as well as their reputation and credibility. They may face accusations of plagiarism, fraud, or deception from their peers, critics, or fans. They may also face legal or ethical issues, such as ownership, rights, or royalties.
Authors who disdain such tools may face unfair competition and comparison from those who do. They may also face doubt and suspicion from their readers, who may question the authenticity and quality of their work.
Readers who love books may feel betrayed and disillusioned when discovering their favourite authors have used an inhuman assistant to breathe fire into their imaginations. They may lose trust and respect for those they formerly admired, and question the value and meaning of the books they previously enjoyed. They may also lose interest and curiosity in reading new books, soured by genuine fears of originality.
The traditional publishing industry needs to come together and take a stand against this plague of AI-washed creativity, and defend the dignity and autonomy of human authors. It needs to establish and clarify a transparent set of standards and policies for the use and disclosure of AI tools, and enforce them rigorously. It needs to educate and inform authors and readers about the dangers and drawbacks of authoring tools, and promote the benefits and rewards of human creativity and expression. It needs to celebrate and support authors who write with honesty and integrity, without relying on or resorting to prompted outputs. It needs to bury the greater threat by combining forces, not by fighting over mouldy slices of a candle-blown cake. The party is over.
It’s not just publishing companies, both large and small, which need to act. Every writer has a responsibility to preserve and protect their art and craft, one of the most precious gifts forged over centuries for the benefit of humanity. Everyone has a duty to honour and respect the authors who devote their lives and talents to creating books which enrich our hearts and minds. After all, it’s their devotion to inspire and empower readers, seeking knowledge and joy from their words, which acts as the only true mirror to human ingenuity and imagination, sometimes even reality.
Authors should re-affirm their right and sole ability to create their stories, in their own words, with their own voice. They must continuously assert their claim and desire for everyone’s right to read stories written by humans, for humans, created with human-induced emotion. They must reject the tsunami of technological alternatives as an intrusion and an insult to the human nature which they vicariously feed upon.
Their fight for authorial self-determination has only just begun.
Technology is advancing at a phenomenal rate and legislation can't keep up with it. The chatGP is out of the bag and I don't think there is anything that can be done about it now. It would be awesome if publishers protected the rights of authors, but if it makes them money, I'm pretty sure they'll turn a blind eye.