A number of people sent me the above note that was sent to writers on the RARE email list. RARE is a huge series of reader events that romance writers can pay to attend with a stall.
Now, of course they are absolutely within their rights to declare they don’t want AI-written books sold at the event, but the above notice, to me at least, is sinister. It has overtones of a dictatorship where you are encouraged to spy on your neighbour and report them.
It also seems, from the wording, to cover ANY and all AI use in an author business.
I just attended the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference, and I am sure it was typical of the current state of AI use with authors. While I am certain there were authors attending who want nothing to do with any AI, the vast majority are employing it throughout their author business, in places where it moves them forward, treating the new technology as just another tool to help us run our businesses.
If RARE are seeking to ban any author who uses AI in any way, I wonder who will be left to attend?
The reality is authors will want to take part, and so they will go along and pray that their neighbour doesn’t report them to the authorities.
I think RARE need to clarify and take a look at the language they use.
Maybe I’m alone, do let me know what you think below. I’m genuinely curious to know if I have become out of step with the self-publishing community and that this is now normal and acceptable?
BTW you can hear Cissy Mecca and me discuss this, along with other industry developments in this week’s Self Publishing Show.
James
BTW I removed the name of the organiser who sent this - please do not add it to any comments. I certainly do not want a reverse witch hunt. And this is not about the person who sent the note, it's at organisation level for RARE (and yes, I also appreciate that navigating the onset of AI is challenging, but this is not the way forward imo).
I work in IT. If these people in the author community understood exactly what they're up against, being against AI, they would just shut up. It is not going anywhere because there are struggles in companies that are using AI, but they're finding that they need people who know what they're doing in whatever subject area they're working in. It's the same with writing books: you have to know what you're doing. If you don't, you can't fix what the AI doesn't know how to do. One day the witch hunt will be over, and those people who have practiced with it and used it will be light years ahead of those that don't.