In today’s day and age, authors have to keep up with more than just the literary scene. The world of computers, of ones and zeroes, is encroaching on that of books and words. Every day, the writing community falls deeper and deeper into debate over the validity of using AI to assist in this deeply human craft. For professional authors, this isn’t just an abstract debate representing moral ideals – it’s a genuine threat to their livelihood.
That’s why this past month, over 70 authors joined in signing an open letter to publishers, advocating for their rights. The letter is available to read on LitHub, and considering the source, it comes as no surprise that it’s beautifully written. Concise, eloquent, and moving, it captures exactly the fears many creatives have in this new age of AI, pinning down the contradictory and endlessly vexing nature of the situation. Why are the two different viewpoints on AI so diametrically opposed? How can its proponents truly not see the issue with allowing computers to take over the arts, replacing human artists?
Despite the bleak circumstances, it is nevertheless inspiring to see this show of unity from the authors whose books many of us know and love. In a time when it feels like the world is throwing artists under the bus, it’s good to see authors standing up for themselves and fighting back using the most powerful tool they have: their words.
Right now, it’s more important than ever for authors to be involved in their community. Rather than being some mysterious entity in the distance, showing a face behind the book helps readers see that it’s not okay for machines to take over this role. People want to know what the authors of their favorite books have to say.
One of the strongest voices speaking out against the AI craze in publishing is Victoria Aveyard, author of the popular YA fantasy series Red Queen and more recently, Realm Breaker. She has gone through several battles regarding the infringement of her intellectual property – whether by other authors or by artificial intelligence models.
Victoria is actively engaged in the reader and writer community, not only posting TikTok videos and Instagram reels but going a step further by responding to comments from fans. As a vocal member of the community, she often weighs in on whatever topics are getting people in a twist at the time – from giving advice to new writers trying to break into traditional publishing to voicing her concerns over AI tools being used to exploit authors.
Recently, in an upsetting discovery, Victoria found her original characters popping up on a site called Character AI. The site allows users to enter descriptions of a character, after which an AI bot will take those descriptions into account and respond as that character. All of this is done without the permission of authors, whose work is used without giving them any amount of credit or compensation. She expressed her disappointment not just in the website itself but in the willingness of readers to partake in the theft.
Some argue that what Character AI does is no different than fanfiction. But Victoria is a big proponent of fanfiction, having spoken about how it helped get her started with writing. The difference lies in the thought and effort that goes into its creation, along with the fact that fanfiction isn’t written with the goal of selling a product for profit (that will then be used to compete against the inspiring work in the same market).
The core issue didn’t start with Character AI, and it doesn’t end there either. Like many authors, Victoria is frustrated with the lack of concern surrounding the ethics of allowing AI to have a hand in the realm of creative writing. So-called “Artificial Intelligence” isn’t actually coming up with original work of its own. It’s pulling from the work of human writers – which, as Victoria points out, is straight-up theft. Large companies are profiting from this whole unregulated scheme without bothering to get permission from the authors whose words are being collected and reassembled into shoddy simulations of the stories they so lovingly created.
One form of protest that Victoria engages in is posting videos of herself editing her gigantic manuscript by hand, page by page. Romanticizing the process of creation is a powerful way to fight back against the growing addiction to ease and speed that AI seeks to promote in our society. Putting in the work yields a more satisfying end result than chasing instant gratification and generating a product with no thought behind it.
If you want to hear more of Victoria’s thoughts in longform, you’re in luck. She recently started a podcast with Soman Chainani, author of the enormously popular middle grade series The School For Good and Evil. The podcast, called Plot Twist, comes at a time when both authors are delving into a new target demographic or genre with their upcoming books, and they discuss a range of topics relevant to the publishing industry today.
(As someone who has seen Victoria and Soman on a panel together at the 2023 YallWest book festival, I wasn’t surprised by the easy rapport between the two of them, as they keep up a flow of banter that makes for a great listening experience.)
In particular, there’s an episode called “Would You Read a Book Generated by AI?” that expands the ideas Victoria has spoken out about on her social media. Soman and Victoria fall at different points on the scale of optimism and pessimism. Hearing their perspectives, it’s interesting to ponder who will be proven right over the coming years. In the battle between AI enthusiasts and creatives, where will the balance fall? How many protections will be put in place for artists? Will the public embrace technology-based replacements, or stick up for the work done by humans?
Whether or not publishers will listen to the message presented in the open letter is yet to be seen, but at the very least we have authors instigating the kind of fight that will make things harder for would-be AI replacers. Victoria Aveyard and her contemporaries are a prime example of the kind of voices we need in the publishing space. Their persistent diatribes against AI can make an impact in the area that matters most: the minds of readers.
Despite what may seem like a disheartening amount of pushback from AI supporters, Victoria’s videos have also received plenty of comments from readers expressing their determination to support real authors and swearing that they will never pick up an AI-generated book.
If you truly love to read, you will support the authors who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into the stories they write for us – stories full of passion, not formulaic imitations spat out by apathetic machines.
It can be easy to lose hope in this storm of conversation surrounding generative AI, but we must have faith in the longtime readers who understand that creativity is only worthwhile if it comes from a human soul. If you truly love to read, you will support the authors who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into the stories they write for us – stories full of passion, not formulaic imitations spat out by apathetic machines.
Remember, when it comes down to it, readers have the power. If enough of us boycott books produced with the help of AI, publishers will grow to see those computer-generated books as a financial gamble rather than an easy money-maker. Now is the time for readers and writers to stand strong in our community and make it what we want it to be.
