The Rise of the Demon AI: How authors can protect their work from AI
- Andrew Heasman (Author)
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
If you are in any way connected to the writing or publishing world you will have looked at conversations on forums or on social media. And, at the moment, the hot topic seems to be the rise of Gen AI and whether it is ethical to use.
The overwhelming consensus seems to be that it should be avoided at all costs (putting it mildly). From a writer's perspective it seems fairly straightforward - you just don't use it, full stop.
But how do you avoid AI (which seems to be everywhere) getting a hold of your work? How protected is your manuscript from attack? How do you stop AI bots from using your work to train itself? And what's stopping AI from simply copying your work and releasing it as "original" content?
Although Gen AI (as a concept) seems quite new, AI in various forms has been around for years. Spellcheck apps are effectively AI. Some "editing" apps are AI. Yet, certain writers accept this as "safe" because it doesn't actually "write" the content for you. To a degree, this is true, but by uploading your text to the AI controlled app to look for typos, are you allowing the AI system to use your words as a training source? (Has anyone signed a disclaimer before using it?)
I'm not an AI expert, so I don't know. But if you scan through the social media comments, there are hundreds of so-called "experts" sharing their views. Most have no knowledge but are playing on the scaremongering effect surging through those communities. They see one AI generated book cover and "assume" that the content is AI written (rightly or wrongly). They claim virtually every excerpt posted online is AI generated (even when the author argues the opposite). It's no wonder that authors are scared to post or connect with anybody.
Then you have the wild claims that EM dashes, semicolons, and full stops are "signs" that work is AI written. Believe it or not, punctuation came before AI. Yet authors are changing their style to accommodate AI rumours. Has it not occurred to anyone that it might be AI itself that is stirring up all the negativity?
But enough of the doom and gloom. What can writers, editors, and publishers actually do to protect their written work?
As I said, AI is still relatively new, so law suites have yet to play out. But to protect your work - should it eventually end up in a court battle - the Author's Guild (a far more knowledgeable organisation than myself) have recently released a series of articles relating to practical advice for authors, additions to editing and publishing contracts, and best practices for authors.
Rather than repeat what they say in detail, I'll simply add links to their reports. Feel free to explore and educate yourselves on what they recommend.
Needless to say, the additions that relate to editing contracts have already been adopted by ProofwriteUK - thus protecting current and future clients as much as is humanly possible at this point in time.
Best Practices for Authors: Authors Guild Releases AI Best Practices for Authors - The Authors Guild
Practical Tips for Authors: Practical Tips for Authors to Protect Their Works from AI Use - The Authors Guild
Model publishing/editing clauses for contracts: Authors Guild AI-Related Model Publishing Contract Clauses - The Authors Guild
Take from these articles what you need, but remember: Don't panic! Don't become one of those spreading negative thoughts about others' work. AI is here to stay (whether we like it or not), but how we deal with it remains to be seen.
ProofwriteUK is a no-AI book editing service. No AI will be used to assess manuscripts, be used in the production of reports, or used in any way that exposes the work to AI bots.
For information of my copyediting, line editing, and proofreading services, go to https://www.proofwriteuk.com where all of your questions will be answered.
If you'd like to discuss your manuscript's requirements, or would like to obtain a FREE quote (or a FREE 1000 word sample edit), please contact me through my website's "contact" page, email address, or via Facebook or X (Twitter).
Email: AJHeasman.ProofWrite@aol.com
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