Would you read an AI written book?

an open discussion

It’s a very real possibility now. I mean, god, how many articles are we reading that have hardly seen a human hand? Emails? Texts? I used to think the answer to “Would you read an AI written book” would be a resounding no, except in the case of a science-experiment-like curiosity. But, to my surprise, that has not been everyone’s opinion.

I’m a purist. I don’t even like ghostwritten books, let alone something written without a soul. Can I be honest? I think this whole thing, for me, boils down to just that: souls. A book written by a computer may master grammar and eloquently execute tropes, plots, or metaphors (all of this, of course, derived from something human written). But AI doesn’t know how how it feels to be a small child sucked in by a rogue ocean wave, tasting nothing but salt and darkness before scrambling up, desperate for air and safety, only to hear your trusted adults laughing at your misfortune. It has never been over at a guy’s house watching a horror movie on a second date and having the strange, startling realization that you’re in a very vulnerable position and could very much end up like the characters on the screen. It doesn’t know what it’s like to sit closely next to someone you like and have your breath catch every time their skin brushes against yours, wondering if they’re feeling it the same. I don’t care about good literature if there’s not a soul behind it. In fact, a book doesn’t even have to be that good. Sometimes a story is bigger than the writer, and it still shines through despite the language.

In terms of writers using AI to help them edit, sure, I guess. I don’t really like the idea of feeding anything into it because I think your work will turn up elsewhere, but I do think that’s how AI should be used: as a tool.

There is such a push to get content out there. There is also so much content out there. Do we really want to churn things out devoid of real meaning just to please an algorithm or make a little money? And does the market really need to be flooded with AI generated content when it’s hard enough for real humans to get their work out there? It’s the fast fashion of the literature world; created to be consumed and discarded.

I think the resounding question of this generation boils down to this: quality or quantity?