In 2022, we saw the ubiquitous rise in the use of AI (artificially generated) "art" in many creative industries. It has extended from images, voice-acting, and music, to writing. 

The ability of AI generators to sample from existing written works and spit out a patchwork of what it is fed is currently in its infancy. AI writing generators are limited in their "skill" of constructing narratives free from errors and consistency. However, given the programs enough time and data to learn, it is feasible to predict they will be able to produce long-form works within our lifetimes. 

This potential threatens the artistry of authors and the publishing industry's future. We do not want AI to replace authors. There is no spark of creativity in artificial intelligence. 

Not only is it amoral to publish AI-generated novels, but it also has the potential to violate copyright laws. According to the U.S Copyright Office, works are considered original "when they are independently created by a human author and have a minimal degree of creativity".

This petition intends to bring forward the fears of published and unpublished authors, and appeal to the publishing industry to keep AI-generated books off the market. Please sign it to signal to the Big 5 (Penguin/Random House, Hachette Book Group, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, Macmillan) that you will not buy or recommend any books they publish if they are artificially generated.

Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash