AI and Copyright: Literature
AI has long been used in the world of piracy, but also to fight it. In recent months, however, a new type of content has appeared, on the border between piracy and something we cannot yet define precisely: fake content attributed to well-known authors, generated by AI. In this August series, we will see that two industries are particularly affected: literature and music.
Fake Artists and Fake Works
For a few months now, fake books have been appearing on legal download sites (such as Amazon) and pirate ones; some use the names of existing authors, while others, on the contrary, try to protect themselves by using a false name, but generally one very close to that of a real artist. Advanced algorithms are now able to analyze and recreate an author's style, whether in terms of story construction or pure narrative qualities. The ease with which books can now be generated by AI has led to a proliferation of fake books on online sales platforms. These fake books can be sold at low prices, which disrupts the book economy and creates unfair competition for real authors. The quality of these AI-generated works varies widely, which causes problems in both cases.
Some are surprisingly well written; but in that case, why keep paying authors if an AI does almost as well, much faster and at lower cost? A real unfair competition is thus created against authors. Others, on the contrary, lack depth, originality and authenticity, which harms the reading experience and the reputation of literature in general.
AgencePDN gets this kind of content removed: see our Books and publishing service.
Similarly, some entirely authentic books are seeing audio versions appear… These books are supposedly read by the author or by an actor or actress known for their audiobook work… The problem? These books never had an audio version recorded by the people in question. Celebrity voice generators have indeed become more and more realistic lately, making this entirely new type of piracy possible.
A Problem for Literature
Yet this type of copy, which is not quite a copy, currently falls under no legislation.
Apart from the problem of paying authors, there is an immense risk that the perceived value of literature will decline if readers can no longer tell the difference between works created by humans and those generated by machines. The loss of trust in the authenticity of literary works could have disastrous consequences for the book industry.
For now, opinions are divided: should all this content be systematically removed? Or should we instead try to create a kind of parallel market, made up of these AI-generated products, but which would include a share of remuneration for the authors who inspire them? Copyright questions are crucial, because they highlight a problem that has recurred since the beginnings of piracy: the law evolves far more slowly than technology, creating grey and chaotic zones.
The Response of Platforms and Regulators
Faced with this situation, some online book-selling platforms have begun to take measures to fight the proliferation of fake books. Amazon, for example, has put in place mechanisms to detect and remove suspicious content. However, these efforts are often reactive and can be bypassed relatively easily.
Regulators and authors' associations are also calling for stricter measures to protect writers and guarantee the authenticity of literary works. These measures could include clearer regulations on the use of artificial intelligence in content creation, as well as more robust verification systems for book-selling platforms.
A Challenge for the Future of Literature
AI text generation is a powerful technology that offers many opportunities, but it also poses significant challenges for the world of literature. The proliferation of fake books written by AI threatens real authors, creates unfair competition, complicates copyright protection and erodes trust in the authenticity of literary works.
It is essential that sales platforms, regulators and consumers work together to find balanced solutions that make it possible to take advantage of AI's benefits while protecting writers and preserving the value of literature. Without appropriate measures, the future of human authors could be seriously compromised by this new wave of automated creation.
Join us for the rest of our article in mid-August. In the meantime, search and removal remain the most effective methods for making content disappear from the web as much as possible. If you have a film, a series, software or an ebook to protect, don't hesitate to call on our services by contacting one of our account managers; PDN has been a pioneer in cybersecurity and anti-piracy for more than ten years, and we surely have a solution to help you. Happy reading, and see you soon!
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