Over 70 Authors Urge Publishers to Limit AI Use in Publishing

A coalition of over 70 prominent authors, including Lauren Groff, Dennis Lehane, Colleen Hoover, and Emily Henry, has issued an open letter urging major U.S. book publishers—such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan—to limit their use of AI in literary production. The letter demands publishers pledge not to release books created by AI, refrain from replacing human staff with AI tools, and only hire human audiobook narrators, emphasizing that AI-generated writing lacks the depth and authenticity of human work. Authors argue that AI companies have effectively 'stolen' their labor by training models on copyrighted content without consent or compensation, an issue highlighted by recent federal court rulings favoring AI developers' use of published books for training. The authors stress that while AI has societal benefits, it should not replace human creativity or the workers who support the literary ecosystem. This letter has rapidly gained support, with over 1,100 signatures in 24 hours, reflecting widespread concern in the literary community about AI's impact on the art of storytelling, publishing jobs, and authors' rights. The movement represents a shift from legal battles against AI companies toward directly pressuring publishers to adopt ethical AI policies.