The Worth of an Author
In the age of AI and self-publishing, what do human writers and traditional publishers have to offer?
Earlier this year, Clarkesworld, one of the most well-known pro-rated markets for SF/F short stories, ended up closing their always-open submissions. The reason? A flood of Chat-GPT-generated stories.
Along with generative models for music and images, the GPT-style Large Language Model (LLM) is threatening to change the landscape of media creation forever. Already, AI-generated content has been seen flooding certain subgenres of the kindle store. With self-publishing overtaking traditional publishing in both profits and popularity, what can we do to prevent AI-generated content from becoming the dominant form of written "entertainment"? In short, what do we as human authors and publishers have to offer?
The answer is simply this: lived experience.
At its core, LLMs are a pattern recognition system. Trained on huge datasets, AI "creates" by learning the linguistic combinations most often seen together and compiling these patterns in response to prompts. Because of this, AI-generated content automatically inherits the biases, patterns, formulas, and habits of what it's been fed. Quite simply, LLMs are what they eat.
What GPT-style AI cannot do is truly imagine, reflect, or empathise. Where human authors write in order to be seen and to share our lived experiences, AI simply regurgitates what it's been fed — perhaps with unexpected juxtapositions, altered vocabulary, a novel structure or two. AI content may be able to entertain, but it cannot truly communicate: it cannot share earned wisdom; it cannot reframe its own life in order to make sense of it.
Up until now, "voice" and "diversity" may have been mere buzzwords in the publishing industry. But with competently written AI novels on the horizon, authentic voices and diverse experiences are the only way for publishers to survive. The same old stories and worn out tropes won't be good enough — not when an AI trained on them will be able to churn out hundreds of rivals-to-lovers romance novels faster than you can say "Theoretically".
It is vital for traditional publishers to hold the line in this fight. I was extraordinarily disappointed to see news of an AI poetry collection recently announced by Hachette. With their extensive resources and networks, as well as their massive social capital, it's up to publishers to invest in human authority, to pour money into the sharing of authentic experiences, and to bolster human writing as the pinnacle of... well... writing.
As writers, we break ourselves into pieces and bleed ink on the page. In the fight against AI-generated content, it’s up to publishers to highlight the power of that and to bring our human stories to the fore.
What are your predictions for our future with AI? I must admit I’m not the most well-versed, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights in the comments.
Other Updates from The Editor’s Desk
New blog post: Benefits of Self-Publishing: Three Perks that Make Authors go Indie If you’ve self-published or are thinking of self-publishing a book, it’s probably due to one of three reasons. Check out the link and tell me what you think.
Work schedule: Currently taking bookings starting from October. Get in touch or schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me to talk about your work.
Throwback Post: What does a Book Editor do? (and why you need one) A quick guide to the various types of editing you’ll need before releasing your book to the world.
Currently Reading: Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes | Crier's War by Nina Varela | Shooters by Julia Boggio (rereading while working on the brilliant sequel!) | The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller