The rise of AI-generated content is raising serious concerns for creatives, with the potential to undermine their livelihoods and redefine the concept of authorship.
As a technology journalist, I recently received an interesting gift from a friend – my very own ‘best-selling‘ book. ‘Tech-Splaining for Dummies’ (great title) bears my name and my photo on its cover, and it has glowing reviews. But what’s remarkable about this book is that it was entirely written by AI, with just a few simple prompts about me supplied by my friend Janet.
The book is an interesting read, and very funny in parts. However, it also meanders quite a lot, and is somewhere between a self-help book and a stream of anecdotes. It mimics my chatty style of writing, but it’s also a bit repetitive, and very verbose. In fact, several sentences begin ‘as a leading technology journalist…’ – cringe – which could have been scraped from an online bio.
The Rise of AI-Generated Content
This is not an isolated incident. There are dozens of companies online offering AI-book writing services. My book was from BookByAnyone, a firm that uses its own AI tools to generate personalized books based on an open source large language model. According to the chief executive Adir Mashiach, they have sold around 150,000 such books mainly in the US since pivoting from compiling AI-generated travel guides.
The Concerns of Creatives
While AI-generated content may seem like a novelty, it raises serious concerns for creatives. Musicians, authors, artists and actors worldwide have expressed alarm about their work being used to train generative AI tools that then churn out similar content based upon it. ‘We should be clear, when we are talking about data here, we actually mean human creators’ life works,’ says Ed Newton Rex, founder of Fairly Trained.
The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate content has raised several concerns.
One major issue is the potential for misinformation, as AI algorithms can produce content that is factually incorrect or misleading.
Additionally, AI-generated content can also lead to job displacement, particularly in industries where content creation is a significant part of the workforce.
Furthermore, there are also concerns about copyright and ownership issues, as it becomes increasingly difficult to determine who owns the rights to AI-generated content.
The Debate Over Copyright Law
In the UK, some organizations – including the BBC – have chosen to block AI developers from trawling their online content for training purposes. Others have decided to collaborate – the Financial Times has partnered with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, for example. The UK government is considering an overhaul of the law that would allow AI developers to use creators’ content on the internet to help develop their models, unless the rights holders opt out.
The Future of AI
As we navigate this complex landscape, it’s essential to consider the future of AI. In the US, the future of federal rules to control AI is now up in the air following President Trump‘s return to the presidency. The debate over copyright law and the ethics of AI-generated content will only continue to grow.
The United States has been grappling with the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) for several years.
In 2019, the White House released a report outlining the benefits and risks of AI, including job displacement and bias in decision-making systems.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also taken steps to regulate AI, issuing guidelines for companies using facial recognition technology.
Additionally, states like California and Washington have introduced legislation to regulate AI development and use.
A Warning for Creatives
As for me and a career as an author, I think that at the moment, if I really want a ‘bestseller’, I’ll still have to write it myself. If anything, Tech-Splaining for Dummies highlights the current weakness in generative AI tools for bigger projects. It is full of inaccuracies and hallucinations, and it can be quite difficult to read in parts because it’s so long-winded.
But given how quickly the tech is evolving, I’m not sure how long I can remain confident that my considerably slower human writing and editing skills are better. The future of AI-generated content is uncertain, but one thing is clear – creatives need to be vigilant and advocate for their rights in this new landscape.
Human writing has been a cornerstone of communication for centuries, allowing individuals to express thoughts and emotions in a unique and personal way.
With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), machines are now capable of generating written content at an unprecedented scale and speed.
While AI-generated text can mimic human-like language, it lacks the depth and nuance that comes from human experience and emotion.
Studies have shown that readers can distinguish between human-written and AI-generated content with remarkable accuracy, highlighting the importance of authenticity in writing.
