In the past, writing a book was a long and arduous journey that began with an idea and ended with a printed copy in the reader’s hands. But with the spread of artificial intelligence, things have begun to change and the writing journey takes a different path, raising questions that go beyond the writing process itself and much further than that. How fair is the competition if some writers use artificial intelligence while others use it? Who is the author when humans and machines co-produce the text? What constitutes literary achievement in the first place?
The literary community seeks to find answers to these questions. A report published by the German weekly magazine Börsenblatt shows the extent of the disparity in positions. The publishing house for children's and young people's books, Loewe, places the label "Without artificial intelligence" on its books available in electronic stores, but at the same time it uses artificial intelligence in some simple daily tasks, such as dealing with tables or developing ideas, according to what the director of the publishing house, Christoph Gundrum, explained.
As for C.H. Beck Publishing House, Dirk Zeitoun believes that the dividing line is the moment when artificial intelligence begins to creatively influence and interfere with the text, but this limit is difficult to clearly define in practical reality, according to what Borzenblatt quoted him as saying.
The French platform “Infinite Library” goes a step further, as it provides, through its artificial intelligence studio “Bindery”, the service of developing an entire book, starting from just an idea, all the way to publishing it!
These different positions demonstrate the intensity of the controversy within literary circles regarding dealing with artificial intelligence, and reveal the diversity of positions and perceptions regarding what is considered a legitimate literary achievement.
Who is the author?
The difficulty of assessing the role of artificial intelligence in book writing is illustrated by the case of Haitian-Canadian writer Teleson Aurelien (38 years old). His novel, "It Was That or Death/ C'était ça ou mourir", was recently excluded from the shortlist for the prestigious French Prix Goncourt due to suspicions that artificial intelligence was used during its writing.
Later, the Canadian publishing house "Edition du Boreal" ended its cooperation with the author, after an external review revealed indications of the presence of tags related to artificial intelligence in the metadata of some drafts of the work, although at the same time the publishing house acknowledged the "lack of clarity" on the extent of the use of artificial intelligence.
Absence of classification mechanisms
As for the writer Tillison Aurelian himself, he categorically denies the accusation that he wrote the novel with the help of artificial intelligence. He told the French newspaper Liberation that he used this technology for searches only. The writer emphasized that the story goes back to him personally, and it also reflects the experience of many Haitians.
The novel deals with themes of escape, migration, and survival. The novel is scheduled to be published in Germany in June 2027 by Rufolt, but the publishing house, according to German public radio Deutschlandfunk, intends to first speak with the writer before making a final decision about publishing the novel.
This case shows how difficult it is to establish fair rules for judging a literary work. How can we ensure a competition in which literary works are evaluated according to clear and verifiable standards if the role played by artificial intelligence in drafting the manuscript of the literary work remains unknown? Is the writer’s own statement and the clarification he provides in this regard sufficient? What evidence does the jury need? How can we prevent suspicion from turning into a final ruling?
Using artificial intelligence as a condition for receiving a prize?
On the other hand, the recently created Pascal Prize in France offers a different vision of the subject. The award explicitly aims to honor the work accomplished by humans in collaboration with artificial intelligence systems.
Participants are asked to provide information on the forms used and textual instructions along with the manuscript. A jury will evaluate the literary quality of the works, and the winning work will be published afterwards. The award ceremony is scheduled to be held early next December.
While the Aurelian case shows a completely dismissive stance on the use of artificial intelligence in literary works, the Pascal Prize makes human-machine collaboration its main point of departure. Whether the use of artificial intelligence is a reason for exclusion or a condition for obtaining the award, the same question remains: according to what criteria should literary achievement be evaluated? To what extent should these rules be transparent?
What is creativity and literary achievement?
Choosing the name of the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal for the new award is not just a historical reference. In the seventeenth century, Pascal developed a mechanical calculator, and left influential philosophical and theological reflections in his book Ideas or Thoughts.
However, French literary researcher Laurent Terwin criticized the choice of the philosopher's name for the award. Speaking to the French newspaper La Croix, he said that Pascal was aware of the limitations of the machine he created, as it was capable of facilitating the completion of tasks without being able to think for itself.
Terwin believes that the same applies to texts produced by artificial intelligence. Persuasive language does not necessarily mean that the machine understands the meaning of what you are saying. Literary value, in his opinion, does not lie in the words alone, but also in the thought behind them.
Thus, the debate taking place today is not limited to new tools for writing, but rather includes the issue of intellectual property and mental creativity, and the question of the criteria that should be adopted to evaluate literary achievement in the age of artificial intelligence.
