An Author Says AI is ‘Writing’ Unauthorized Books Being Sold Under Her Name on Amazon
A startling revelation has come to light as author Jane Friedman has uncovered that books purportedly authored by her were being sold on Amazon, even though she had no involvement in their creation. These books, suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI), posed as new releases under her name. The incident has triggered discussions about the potential consequences of AI-generated content and the protection of authors’ intellectual property.
Jane Friedman, an accomplished author and consultant within the writing and publishing industry, shared her disconcerting experience with CNN. A vigilant reader seeking more of her work purchased one of these imposter titles on Amazon. Although the titles appeared to align with her typical subject matter, the content exhibited signs of being created by a generative AI model mimicking her writing style.
Upon examining these fraudulent books, Friedman noticed distinct indicators that the content was mostly or entirely AI-generated. As someone who has shared abundant content online over the years, she recognized that an AI model could easily replicate her style. She remarked, “I have so much content available online for free because I’ve been blogging forever, so it wouldn’t be hard to get an AI to mimic me.”
The emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT, which can swiftly produce convincing text, has raised concerns among writers and authors about potential losses to this technology. Some writers are apprehensive about their work being exploited to train AI models, which could then emulate their writing style.
Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, a nonprofit authors’ advocacy group, expressed concerns over generative AI potentially replacing writers. She emphasized that AI companies are using authors’ work to train models that could eventually replace human creators. More than 10,000 authors, including renowned names like James Patterson, Roxane Gay, and Margaret Atwood, have signed an open letter urging AI industry leaders to obtain consent from authors when using their work to train AI models and to provide fair compensation.
US lawmakers recently met with representatives from creative industries, including the Authors Guild, to discuss the implications of AI on intellectual property. During a Senate subcommittee hearing, Rasenberger advocated for legislation to safeguard writers from AI misuse, including transparency requirements for how AI models are trained.
Friedman’s experience prompted a wider conversation among authors who had faced similar situations. Amazon removed the counterfeit books associated with Friedman’s name from its platform and stated that such imitation violated its content guidelines. The company also assured that it was investigating the matter to enhance its processes.
While AI’s potential to generate content poses opportunities, concerns about intellectual property, content authenticity, and the potential replacement of human creators continue to dominate discussions in the literary world. The Authors Guild aims to collaborate with AI companies to address these concerns, including providing authors with the option to opt out of using their work for training AI models and implementing transparent labelling for artificially generated content.
