Authors rally against AI use in publishing industry
More than 70 authors—including Dennis Lehane and Lauren Groff—have signed an open letter asking big US publishers to promise they won't publish books written by AI.
The letter, posted on Lit Hub, picked up over 1,100 signatures in just 24 hours.
It's a clear sign that writers are worried about how AI could change the future of publishing and creative work.
Letter to publishers
The authors say AI can be helpful, but it shouldn't replace real artists or their work.
They're urging publishers to ban AI-generated books, stop using copyrighted works for training AIs without permission, avoid replacing staff with tech, and keep human voices for audiobooks.
As they put it: "the writing that AI produces feels cheap because it is cheap."
Young adult author organized the letter
Rioghnach Robinson (who writes as Riley Redgate), a young adult author, organized the letter after recent court decisions made it easier for AIs to use copyrighted books as "fair use."
She warns that without strong publisher policies, companies might swap out both writers and editors for algorithms—and she's calling for solid protections so human creators aren't pushed aside.