The Present A.I. Conundrum
There has been a lot of chatter the last few months about artificial intelligence and its role in creative enterprises. Many people in the field (artists, authors, musicians, photographers, voice actors, etc.) are really starting to become nervous as more and more AI-generated content is released into the wild. And I’m one of them.
It’s difficult enough as an author who spends almost all of my free time writing (because even with 5 books published, I still have to work full time elsewhere.) Now there’s an influx of AI-created books entering the market, and most of the time, they aren’t flagged as such. But they should be.
Writing quality books takes time. I draft, I revise, I edit, I rewrite, then edit some more. Then it goes to the proofreader. I commission cover artwork from a real-life human in the middle of all of that too, by the way. Most of my books have been in the works for years before they’re published, and it’s always such an incredible feeling to see them released.
But this AI stuff? I’ve seen people boast that they can “write” a book in less than a day. But they aren’t writing, they’re letting a program do it for them. And those programs are trained on the blood, sweat, and tears of real writers, often without their permission. And many times, in violation of copyright laws.
It’s infuriating.
There are a number of lawsuits currently in the works against several AI-artwork generating programs, as well as some places using audiobooks to train their AIs. It’s too early to know how any of that will play out in the courts, but I’m hopeful they’ll side with the humans in this matter.
You can read more about some of the legal battles ongoing here:
- In Generative AI legal Wild West, the courtroom battles are just getting started – CNBC
- From lawsuits to tech hacks: Here’s how artists are fighting back against AI image generation – Euronews
- Findaway Voices, Machine Learning, and the New Rights Frontier – WriterBeware
- OpenAI says it could ‘cease operating’ in the EU if it can’t comply with future regulations – The Verge (This article has a particularly telling statement regarding the company’s use of copyrighted material and the potential for lawsuits)
But there is some hope that the copyright owners of artistic/literary works will prevail. In February, Findaway Voices announced they would stop licensing audiobook files for AI-learning.
- Findaway Voices to Stop Licensing Audiobooks for AI Learning – Publisher’s Weekly
And the US Copyright office released this guidance in March that explicitly states anything created by AI cannot be registered for copyright.
I’ve read plenty of science-fiction in my time, but not once has the concept of AI being used to generate creative works been a focus. I think AI has its place elsewhere, but not in this quintessentially human endeavor.
And for those who think creating a book and releasing it is going to net you tons of cash really fast, I have some hard news for you: It doesn’t. I’ve released five full-length novels and one novella now, and I still (on average) net less than $100 per month in royalties. Yeah, I’m not great at marketing, but even with my best efforts, it’s a grueling path with very little return.
Most authors I know don’t write for the money. We write because we love the process and we love telling our stories. We enjoy imparting an emotional impact on our readers (something I doubt AI is capable of. A machine doesn’t feel, so how can it accurately portray emotion?)
As I said above, I’m hopeful the courts will rule on the side of the human creatives, but time will tell.
This AI stuff does not sit well with me, and it never will. I hope the corporations behind the technology apply it where it’s actually useful, rather than destroying creative enterprises in their greedy pursuit to make money. You know, make an AI that will find and repair potholes in the roads around here, since the cities don’t seem to care about fixing them. That might be ok.
And for the record, all of my books (previous, in-process, and future) will be 100% written by me, edited and proofread by a human, and all artwork included (covers, maps, etc.) will also be created by a human.
By the way, if you like the cover art on my books, you should check out Jamie Noble’s website (www.thenobleartist.com). He does more than book covers, and I can’t recommend working with him enough.
Likewise for the maps in my books, check out Dewi Hargreaves for that part of the process (dewihargreaves.com). He does great work too.