Barnes & Noble returned to growth after facing bankruptcy in 2019, opening 67 new stores in 2025 with 60 more planned for 2026. CEO James Daunt said the company is willing to stock AI-written books as long as they do not misrepresent their origin, do not copy others, and provide an essential quality readers want. Daunt emphasized clear disclosure so customers know whether a book was written by a human or by AI. He also acknowledged that some titles in the company’s catalog of about 300,000 may already be AI-generated without the company being fully aware. He predicted AI-generated books are unlikely to gain major commercial traction soon.
"“I have actually no problem selling any book, as long as it doesn't masquerade or pretend to be something that it isn't, and that it has an essential quality to it, and that the customer, the reader, wants it,” Daunt said."
"“As long as an AI-written book says it's an AI-written book and doesn't pretend to be something else and isn't ripping off somebody else, as long as that's clearly stated and the customer wants to buy it, then we will stock them,” he said."
"“Do we think that some of those [titles] may be AI? The chances are that they are, but we're not really conscious of them,” Daunt said."
"“At the moment, it seems unlikely to us that these AI-generated books are going to get much commercial traction,” he said."
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