Andrew Dickens: Should authors be punished for using AI?

There’s controversy in the Ockham Book Awards as two books by notable authors are withdrawn from competition because their covers were created using AI.

Stephanie Johnson’s collection of short stories 'Obligate Carnivore' and Elizabeth Smither’s collection of novellas 'Angel Train' are the two books cancelled.

Their covers were created using AI and the book awards are on high alert for anything that takes the place of human activity.

The decision to amend the criteria around AI was spurred by a desire to support creative and copyright interests of the country’s writers and illustrators.

So I understand the concern from the creative industries about the rise of AI, but I wonder if they really understand how AI was used in these circumstances.

Covers are created by graphic designers. Sometimes they may commission an artist to draw the cover, but more often they’ve been creating images using computer programmes like Photoshop and various Adobe programmes. 

But in all cases a human is in charge, and there’s no difference here.

Elizabeth Smither’s team had a specific image in mind combining a steam locomotive and an Angel inspired by Marc Chagall. 

A human asked AI to do it. It popped it out and the human refined it. Is that any different to a graphic designer pulling it together in Adobe? 

AI has spooked the creatives. AI bands have had hit albums. Now Paul McCartney is releasing a single that is silent in protest at AI stealing his sound. Morgan Freeman is railing against AI copy of his distinctive voice.

But Elizabeth Smithers and Stephanie Johnson wrote their books. In Stephanie's case the short stories have been written over 20 years. But now her work has been cancelled because of a virtue signalling protest against progress. 

AI is out of the genie’s bottle. It’s important that it’s influence is credited, but it still can’t do it’s own thing. It still needs a human to guide it and so it is like any other tool, including a pen and a piece of paper. 

Meanwhile Thursday we hear the Nvidia result. The bellwether stock of AI. There are bears and bulls and people talking about the bursting of the AI tech bubble as being a thing. 

I just want to warn that AI is still in it’s infancy and there’s a long way to go before it becomes a Terminator film. But what interesting times we live in 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So there's a bit of controversy in the Ockham New
Zealand Book Awards as two books by notable authors are
withdrawn from competition because their covers were created using AI.
Shame on them. Stephanie Johnson's collection of short stories called
Obligate Carnivore and Elizabeth Smiths collection of Novella's Angel Train
are the two books canceled so their covers were created

(00:22):
using AI, and the Book Awards are on high alert
for anything that takes the place of human activity in
the creative field. The decision to amend the criteria around
AI was spurred by a desire to support creative and
copyright interests of the country's writers and illustrators. So look,
I understand the concern from the creatives about the rise
of AI, but I don't think they really understand how

(00:44):
AI was used in these circumstances. So you make a cover,
A graphic designer does that. Sometimes they might commission an
artist to draw the cover. That's all good. More often though,
they've been creating images using computer programs like Photoshop or Adobe.
But in all cases a human is in charge and
it's the same here. Elizabeth Smithers team had a specific
image of mind combining a steam locomotive and an angel

(01:06):
inspired by Mark Scheghale, And then a human asked AI
to do it. It popped it out. Then a human
refined it is that any different to a graphic designer
pulling it together in Adobe? But AI is spooking the
creatives right. AI bands have had hit albums. Now, Paul
McCartney is releasing a single two minutes forty five seconds
of complete silence in protests at all the AI that

(01:28):
is stealing a sound. Morgan Freeman is rating against AI
copies of his voice. But Elizabeth Smithers and Stephanie Johnson
wrote their books, and in Stephanie's case, the short stories
have been written over twenty years. But now her work
has been canceled because of a virtue signaling protest against progress.
She must be heartbroken. AI is out of the genies bottle.

(01:51):
It's important that whenever it's used, its influence should be credited.
But it still can't do its own thing. It still
needs a human to guide it and set it on
its way. So it's just like any other tool, including
a pen and a piece of paper. Meanwhile, on AI
on Thursday, we hear the Nvidia result. Now, Nvidia is
the bell Weather stock of AI is the chips that

(02:12):
they use to fire this whole thing. And there are
bears and bulls and people talking about the bursting of
the AI tech bubble as being a thing. And I
just want to warn that AI is interesting. AI is good,
but AI is still in its infancy and there's a
lot a long way to go before it becomes a
terminator film. And I have to say, what interesting times
we live in. And I don't agree that Ockham New

(02:34):
Zealand Book Awards should actually cancel. Stephanie Johnson and Elizabeth
Smithers for more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen
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