Amazon issues AI diktat to authors selling books via e-book program

Robert Besser
14 Sep 2023, 16:23 GMT+10

Amazon.com said it will require writers wishing to sell their books through its e-book program to disclose in advance whether their works include AI material
The guild lauded the new regulations, posted last week, as a "welcome first step" toward deterring the proliferation of computer-generated books on Amazon's online site
Many writers have expressed concerns that computer-generated books will be unfair to consumers who are unaware they are buying AI content and crowd out traditional works

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Following months of complaints from the Authors Guild and other writers' groups, Amazon.com said it will require writers wishing to sell their books through its e-book program to disclose in advance whether their works include artificial intelligence (AI) material.

The guild lauded the new regulations, posted last week, as a "welcome first step" toward deterring the proliferation of computer-generated books on Amazon's online site.

Many writers have expressed concerns that computer-generated books will be unfair to consumers who are unaware they are buying AI content and crowd out traditional works.

The Authors Guild has been discussing AI material with Amazon since early 2023, said Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger last week.

"Amazon never opposed requiring disclosure but just said they had to think it through, and we kept nudging them. We think and hope they will eventually require public disclosure when a work is AI-generated," she added.

The guild, which represents thousands of published authors, organized the writing of an open letter in July urging AI companies not to use copyrighted material without permission.

Famous writers James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, and Suzanne Collins endorsed the letter.

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