In a previous issue our regular contributor, Samuel Bernard, talked about book pirates. Those who steal writers’ works by publishing them overseas or copying them, cheating writers of their income.

With the onset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) we are seeing an increase in copyright income theft as authors’ writing is used without permission. This type of theft is rising thick and fast as the influence of AI increases. It feels similar in some ways to the advent of the internet in the effect that it had on society in the 1990s and 2000s. With the internet, suddenly we had access to information from around the world. Books like encyclopedias quickly became defunct as we could just search the answer we were looking for. But, there was a downside. Was the answer we received by searching on the internet true? That problem has never been resolved and is an even bigger problem today as misinformation runs rampant, dividing our society for the worse.

Now AI is at the forefront. The changes it is causing in our society are happening so much more speedily than it did with the internet. It took some time for the internet to permeate, for social media to become entrenched, for phones to become an appendage that we can’t even leave at home to visit the local shop.

An author’s work can easily be used in the work of AI at present. How can authors track this? How can it be policed? Where are the rules that we need to govern this technology? I have a terrible feeling that we are managing this all backwards. Companies are using AI in myriad ways without us knowing and without any, or enough, parameters or boundaries to curb its ability or uses, to ensure it’s not abused. There is so much catch-up to be done.

I imagine if an AI authors a novel, as readers we will rush out and buy it just to find out what it’s like. As humans we seem hardwired to do this. Marketers know this well and have us pegged. We love to discover and experience what other people are buzzing about.

Living Books is something that is touted as not far off. These are AI created stories that interact with readers in real-time. ‘Each book contains a unique story that changes and evolves based on the reader’s emotions, choices, and actions.’ It’s like the old ‘choose your own adventure’ style books where, while reading you can choose to go to a different page, depending on what you’d like to happen. But with AI, the reading experience is ‘choose your own’ on steroids.

This is nothing new from the publishing ideas factory. It’s been imagined for many years, and we’ve talked about it before in these pages. But reality is suddenly getting much closer. The faster AI evolves and develops, the faster we close in on it.

In a Living Book, an AI can consider your previous choices when reading, and even your current emotional state. As it does so, it creates new paths in the story for you to follow. The more you read, the better the AI gets to know you. Creepy, right? It will take your previous choices from stories and start weaving those into your future reading experiences. Illustrations will adapt to suit as it morphs. It will even emit scents and sounds. But it won’t stop there. It will change in ways you can’t imagine.

As readers, we will be able to share the story we are reading with others, so that they become entwined with other readers’ stories. As multiple readers make choices and influence the story, so the AI will change the overall narrative. This all sounds interesting, doesn’t it? And I’ll bet lots of readers will be up for the experience. Maybe me too. But it makes me feel quite uncomfortable all the same.

AIs create all this through the dreaded algorithm. I despise algorithms that spoon-feed you information that it thinks interest you. It creates tunnel vision, as you no longer read a variety of opinions, thoughts and ideas. It’s simple manipulation.

When algorithms are used in a reading experience, are we in danger of the same thing happening? Will we read stories by AI where the truth of history will no longer be told? Will young readers be exposed to stories that are inappropriate? Who will apply the checks and balances? Will ethics go out the window?

Currently books don’t use algorithms. They are still pretty basic. The author writes a novel from their imagination. It takes a very long time as chapters are written and rewritten until the author is satisfied. The publishers help to hone it, applying their clever editing skills and finally publish it. This also takes considerable time. Then you discover it and read it. It’s the writer’s talent and skill that engages you from the front to the back of a book. For non-fiction, it’s a writer’s knowledge, experience, careful research and integrity that creates a book for you to learn from. Ninety-nine per cent of the time it’s not driven by anything but a passion. It’s worked for thousands of years.

Technology is an amazing thing. AI will help us find answers to the cures for terrible diseases and enable wonderous discoveries. We wouldn’t do without it. But I have to wonder at the flip side.

Tech has encouraged people to no longer phone people, in fact some people won’t even answer the phone. We no longer drop in on someone for a visit. It has stifled communication in so many ways, given rise to everything from spreading untruths, actively applauding narcissism and further isolating the lonely.

What will come of a book crafted by AI? Will it be to simply make money, or to influence us surreptitiously? Will it do good? Will a novel written by AI actually make us think in new ways, help us empathise with others, discover new learnings? Will its story have a heart?

I still believe the book in its current paper form is still pretty much bullet proof, no matter the new formats that become available. I might be proved wrong. We’ll see. I also believe that writers who create stories are more important than the format they are published in. We need to protect them. Stand up for them. We don’t want them to be added to the incredibly long extinction list we’re already responsible for. •