The start of this month saw the second staging of the much-vaunted US Book Show. There is already some great coverage out there, notably from Publishers Weekly, who hosted the show, and from Publishing Perspectives. I've also enjoyed reading Jane Friedman, who has been involved in the hosting. But I will try to pull out the highlights. Of course, AI was on the agenda. And the headlines from the show have been grabbed by the centerpiece panel featuring David Shelley, CEO of Hachette, which was the company at the heart of the Shy Girl storm.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
The question he (and we all) face is a simple one. What do we do about the fact that we are starting to see books coming through that may or may not be AI-generated (at least in part) but aren't obviously distinguishable?
The Danger of a Culture of Suspicion
Shelley's answer is that there is a real danger that too much invocation of AI detection tools and a general culture of suspicion is in danger of creating real division between the industry and the creators on whom they depend.
And as sure as there were people from publishing talking about AI, there has been Mark Williams offering eminently readable, highly informative, and not a little scurrilous commentary. In this case, his point is a really valuable one that builds on what was said at the Book Show. The use of AI detection tools is a potential disaster waiting to happen for the publishing industry when they point the finger of suspicion in the wrong direction. He gives a long and detailed look at how this might have played out in Shelley's own encounter with Robert Galbraith, before he became aware of the decidedly high-profile figure behind the name.
Why Indies May Be Insulated
What I would say is that this feels like a situation in which as indies with our own direct route to fans, and the fact that we know for certain what we have or have not done when we press publish, we may be immune to some of the difficulties. Readers will love what they love, and we can write it and publish for their passions. A general suspicion of all writing would no doubt affect us (though not our ability to publish as it would for those seeking traditional deals), but our direct reliance on what readers want offers a real buffer.
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