More than half of UK novelists believe AI will replace their work

"More than half of published novelists in the UK believe artificial intelligence could eventually replace their work entirely, according to a new report from the University of Cambridge. The study, conducted for the university's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, suggests widespread unease about the speed and scale of AI's advance into the literary world. The research surveyed 258 published novelists and 74 industry figures including editors and agents."

"Just over half (51%) of novelists said that AI is likely to end up entirely replacing their work. Many participants reported that their work had already been used without their permission to train large language models, and more than a third (39%) said their income had fallen as a result of generative AI. A large majority also expected their earnings to decline further."

"I worry that an industry driven mainly by profit will be tempted to use AI more and more to generate books. If it is cheaper to produce novels using AI publishers will almost inevitably choose to publish them. And if they are priced cheaper than human-made books, readers are likely to buy them, the way we buy machine-made jumpers rather than the more expensive hand-knitted ones."

A survey of 258 published novelists and 74 industry figures including editors and agents recorded that just over half (51%) believe AI could eventually replace their work entirely. Many respondents reported that their writing had already been used without permission to train large language models. More than a third (39%) said their income had fallen because of generative AI, and a large majority expected earnings to decline further. Romance authors were identified as most exposed, followed by thriller and crime writers. Many respondents reported an increasing presence of AI-generated books and uncertainty about future appetite for complex, long-form fiction.

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