Amazon is now requiring authors who sell books through the company’s e-book program to disclose in advance if their work contains any AI-generated material, PCMag reported.
A new passage in the company’s direct publishing guidelines states: “We require you to inform us of AI-generated content (text, images, or translations), when you publish a new book or make edits to and republish and existing book through KDP. AI-generated images include cover and interior images and artwork.”
According to PCMag, the company does not require authors to disclose AI-assisted content, which it defines as content you created yourself and then “used AI-based tools to edit, refine, error-check, or otherwise improve that content (whether text or images).”
According to PCMag, the AP reported the move comes after months of complaints from organizations like the Authors Guild, which have concerns about “AI-generated books flooding the platform and displacing human authors to protect consumers from unwittingly purchasing AI-generated texts.”
The Authors Guild posted news titled: “Amazon’s New Disclosure Policy for AI-Generated Book Content Is a Welcome First Step”. From the news (which was posted on September 7):
Today, Amazon announced its new policy requiring those who post content to its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform to disclose to Amazon if the content contains AI-generated content, including text, images, or translations.
The new policy comes after months of discussions between the Author’s Guild and KDP leadership on the need for safeguards against AI-generated books flooding the platform and displacing human authors and to protect consumers from unwittingly purchasing AI-generated texts. We are grateful to the Amazon team for taking our concerns into account and enacting this important step toward ensuring transparency and accountability for AI-generated content.
The Authors Guild is currently working to ensure that books used to train generative AI are licensed, and we do not encourage the use of any AI that is trained on unlicensed books and journalism. The unchecked use of generative AI technologies to compose the entire text of a book, resulting in AI-generated books, poses a serious threat.
In recent news, we have seen examples of AI-generated books ascending the best-seller lists on Amazon, and content farms appropriating the name, styles, and content of well-known authors such as Jane Friedman. This is grossly unfair to the writers who bring unique life experiences and talent to their work, and who cannot fairly compete against industrialized content farms…
Amazon provided the following information regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) content (text, images, or translations):
AI-generated: We define AI-generated content as text, images, or translations created by an AI-based tool. If you used an AI-based tool to create the actual content (whether text, images, or translations), it is considered “AI-generated,” even if you applied substantial edits afterwards.
AI-assisted: If you created the content yourself, and used AI-based tools to refine, error-check, or otherwise improve that content (whether text or images), then it is considered “AI-assisted” and not “AI-generated.” Similarly, if you used an AI-based tool to brainstorm and generate ideas, but ultimately created the text or images yourself, this is also considered “AI-assisted” and not “AI-generated.” It is not necessary to inform us of the use of such tools or processes.
Personally, I think it was a good decision for Amazon to specify rules about how they will treat AI-generated content in books that it allows to be on its KDP site. I cannot imagine that an AI-driven storyline would result in a compelling, interesting, and entertaining story.