Particle Data Platform
Today, Explained

Is it a bad book or is it AI?

5/13/202626 min

An author gets her book pulled after accusations that it was written with AI, but it might not always be so easy to catch AI writing. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Noel King. Photo by Planet One Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clips

Showing 10 of 11
Did the author use AI?
Why human flaws matter
AI can sound literary
Friends couldn’t tell the difference
Detection tools fall short
Sensing a lack of mind
The human error giveaway
Fallout from an AI scandal
Originality crisis, personal reckoning
What readers really want

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Noel King· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] AI use and allegations of AI use are causing chaos in the publishing industry. Some authors have had their books picked apart and their careers destroyed.

  2. Speaker 10:09

    AI scandal that is shocking the book industry.

  3. Kelli Wessinger0:12

    If you're wondering if it's AI slop, it is AI slop.

  4. Speaker 30:15

    AI accusations are no fucking joke.

  5. Noel King· Host0:19

    Some writers say AI is just a tool and they feel no shame about using it.

  6. Imogen West-Knights· Guest0:23

    I'm Coral Hart, and I write AI-powered romance novels that are topping Amazon charts.

  7. Noel King· Host0:27

    So is it that AI is soulless and could never replicate what humans do, or is it pretty compelling? Coming up on Today Explained, a scandal, an experiment, and a question: can books survive the AI revolution? [upbeat music] Support for Today Explained comes from ServiceNow. AI is moving fast, but without visibility it's just chaos. Different tools, different models, different teams using AI in completely different ways. A mess. ServiceNow turns that mess into control. With the AI control tower, you see all your AI across the business in one place. Oh, what it's doing, what it's done, what it's about to do so you stay in control. To put AI to work for people, visit servicenow.com.

  8. Speaker 51:27

    [gentle music] Support for this show comes

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.