A stark new report from the University of Cambridge has revealed a profound anxiety gripping the UK's literary community, with more than half of the nation's published novelists fearing that artificial intelligence (AI) could eventually make their work obsolete.
Widespread Fear and Financial Impact
The study, conducted for the university’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, surveyed 258 published novelists and 74 industry professionals. It found that 51% of novelists believe it is likely that AI will end up entirely replacing their work. This sentiment is compounded by the finding that many authors have already had their work used without permission to train large language models.
The financial consequences are already being felt. More than a third of respondents (39%) reported that their income has fallen as a direct result of generative AI. A large majority also expect their earnings to decline further in the coming years, painting a bleak picture for the economic future of professional writing.
A Crowded Marketplace and Erosion of Trust
The report identifies specific genres as being particularly vulnerable. Romance authors are seen as the most exposed to displacement by AI tools now capable of producing long-form fiction, followed closely by thriller and crime novelists.
Many authors described an increasingly crowded online marketplace, specifically on platforms like Amazon, where AI-generated books are proliferating. Some reported the alarming discovery of titles listed under their name that they did not write. Others pointed to reviews that appeared to be AI-generated, which contained muddled characters and incorrect details, potentially damaging sales and reader trust.
Dr Clementine Collett, the report's author, stated: "There is widespread concern from novelists that generative AI trained on vast amounts of fiction will undermine the value of writing and compete with human novelists. Many novelists felt uncertain there will be an appetite for complex, long-form writing in years to come."
Call for Consent and Connection
Despite the concerns, the report found that attitudes are not uniformly hostile. Around a third of novelists said they use AI for tasks like sourcing information. However, almost all expressed strong opposition to AI being used to write novels or even short passages of text.
A recurring theme was the failure of copyright protections to keep pace with technology. Authors are demanding informed consent and payment for the use of their work in AI training, alongside greater transparency from tech firms and more robust government support. There is particular frustration with the government’s proposed ‘rights reservation’ system, which would allow AI firms to mine text unless authors explicitly opt out.
Bestselling author Tracy Chevalier voiced a common fear, drawing a parallel to other industries: "I worry that an industry driven mainly by profit will be tempted to use AI more and more to generate books. If it is cheaper to produce novels using AI… publishers will almost inevitably choose to publish them."
Ultimately, authors fear that AI could sever the deep human connection between writers and readers. This concern is especially acute at a time when reading for pleasure is at a two-decade low among children in the UK.
