Artificial intelligence hits literature

Christian Science Monitor -  This summer, the literary agencies Europa Content and Hodgman Literary shook the publishing world when they withdrew from sale a manuscript for the highly anticipated crime novel “Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body.” The book, written by Nigerian author Jerry Falade, had already generated plenty of online buzz. It had secured multimillion-dollar deals from major publishers in both the United States and the United Kingdom and was slated to be released in 2028.

It was also, the literary agencies said, unclear whether the book had been written by Mr. Falade or by an artificial intelligence chatbot.

The controversy is at once new and familiar, reflecting both the dramatic changes that the proliferation of AI has wrought on book publishing and echoing other skirmishes this year in which authors have been accused of using AI. This past spring, Hachette Book Group, a leading American publisher, canceled the publication of “Shy Girl,” an eagerly awaited horror novel by Mia Ballard, after rumors that Ms. Ballard had written the book using AI overtook the internet.