Image by Maia Habegger, from Unsplash
Authors Urge Publishers To Ban AI-Written Books
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Multiple authors have written an influential open correspondence to major U.S. publishers, which demands their public opposition to AI in book creation.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Letter accuses AI of stealing from human writers.
- Writers want contracts banning AI-generated content.
- Editors and narrators also fear job loss to AI.
The letter addresses Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and other major publishers to warn about a future where books will be produced by AI instead of humans.
“At its simplest level, our job as artists is to respond to the human experience,” the authors write. But they fear that experience is being replaced by AI-generated content that mimics human creativity without truly understanding it.
“To bleed, or starve, or love […] only a human being can speak to and understand another human being,” the letter noted.
The authors also accuse AI companies of using their work without permission to train AI models. “Taken without our consent, without payment, without even the courtesy of acknowledgment,” they write.
The concern extends beyond writers to editors, copy editors, and narrators, whose jobs are also under threat as publishers explore AI replacements.
The writers acknowledge AI has practical applications, yet reject its use for replacing creative professionals. “The writing that AI produces feels cheap because it is cheap. It feels simple because it is simple to produce.”
The letter ends with a direct appeal to publishers: “We want our publishers to stand with us. To make a pledge that they will never release books that were created by machines.”
The writers demand specific promises from publishers to avoid AI-generated book publications, to refrain from using AI to replace staff members, and to maintain human voices in audiobooks. They also stress the need to safeguard the writing profession for upcoming generations. “We await your response,” the authors conclude.
Image by DC Studio, from Freepik
Over 40% Of Agentic AI Projects Could Be Canceled by 2027
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Businesses continue to spend money on agentic AI systems, however new research argues that many of these initiatives face an uncertain future.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- High costs and unclear ROI stall agentic AI adoption.
- Only 130 vendors offer true agentic AI solutions.
- “Agent washing” misleads companies about AI’s real capabilities.
A new report from research firm Gartner predicts that over 40% agentic AI projects will likely be cancelled by 2027, given the high costs, combined with unclear benefits and inadequate risk management.
“Most agentic AI projects right now are early-stage experiments or proofs of concept that are mostly driven by hype and are often misapplied,” said Anushree Verma, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, as reported by Forbes .
Agentic AI differs from traditional automation or chatbots by aiming to work independently, learn from experience, and perform complex tasks without constant human supervision. However, the Gartner survey revealed that although 19% of companies actively invest in this technology, 31% still remain uncertain or are waiting to see what happens.
Gartner also identifies the new phenomenon of “agent washing.” The researchers explain that through this practice, organizations label traditional technologies like RPA or virtual assistants as agentic AI, without adding real autonomous capabilities. Indeed, Gartner noted that of thousands of vendors, only around 130 meet the actual definition of agentic AI.
One recent example of “agent washing” was Builder.ai, a Microsoft-backed startup that claimed its platform built apps using AI. In reality, 700 human engineers in India performed most of the work.
Additionally, the financial expenses needed to construct and sustain these systems present another major challenge to organizations. The implementation of agents into outdated systems, together with workflow redesign, and staff training expenses, may prove overly costly for companies.
Still, Gartner sees long-term potential. By 2028, 15% of everyday business decisions could be made autonomously by AI agents , and one-third of enterprise software could include agentic functions.
For this implementation to succeed, Verma suggested to Forbes, “To get real value from agentic AI, organizations must focus on enterprise productivity, rather than just individual task augmentation.”
“They can start by using AI agents when decisions are needed, automation for routine workflows and assistants for simple retrieval. It’s about driving business value through cost, quality, speed and scale,” Verma concluded.
