As AI advances in creative writing, authors are divided on its potential to challenge human literature. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s latest model has produced a metafictional story on grief that impressed writer Jeanette Winterson, who found it “beautiful and moving.” Kamila Shamsie, author of Best of Friends, admitted that if an MA student submitted the AI-generated story, she would not suspect it was written by a machine.
Shamsie expressed deep concern about AI’s growing ability to mimic human creativity, comparing its writing to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun. She reflected on how AI-generated works could impact professional writers, saying, “As a writer, I have to wonder what it will mean for my vocation, my livelihood.” Despite her concerns, she found herself immersed in the AI-written story, an experience she found unsettling.
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However, not all writers shared the same admiration. Author Nick Harkway criticized AI’s writing as “elegant emptiness,” likening it to a bird mistaking its reflection for another being. David Baddiel also pointed out the artificial nature of AI-generated prose, while Tracy Chevalier dismissed it as “self-referential navel-gazing,” arguing that AI lacks the depth of true human creativity.
With AI evolving rapidly, the debate over its place in literature continues. Some fear that as AI refines its storytelling abilities, it could reshape the future of writing and challenge the unique magic that defines human creativity.
