Amazon will require publishers on Kindle to disclose when any of their content is generated by artificial intelligence after complaints forced the company to take action.
“We require you to inform us of AI-generated content (text, images or translations) when you publish a new book or make edits to and republish an existing book through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). AI-generated images include cover and interior images and artwork,” Amazon said of the updated guidelines, according to a report in Cyber News.
The update comes after the company faced complaints from users that some works being sold under the names of human writers contained content that was either fully or partially generated by AI, according to the report.
Some of the content was being published on Amazon under the names of well-known authors who were not involved in the books.
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An Amazon sign on the facade of the company’s regional headquarters in the Silicon Valley town of Sunnyvale, California. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
The Authors Guild, which has called on Amazon to take a more active approach to policing AI-generated content, praised the new regulation, calling it a “welcome first step” toward eliminating the spread of AI books.
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“In recent months, we have seen examples of AI-generated books ascending the best-seller lists on Amazon, and content farms appropriating the names, styles, and content of well-known authors such as Jane Friedman,” the Authors Guild said in a statement posted on its website. “This is grossly unfair to the writers who bring unique life experiences and talent to their work, and who cannot fairly compete against industrialized content farms.”
Organizations such as the Authors Guild have expressed fears Amazon’s Kindle platform would become flooded with AI-generated books since programs such as ChatGPT become more widespread, a practice that would also be unfair for consumers who may be unaware the content they are purchasing was produced by AI.
The ChatGPT logo on a laptop computer. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Despite the updated rules, Amazon did not express plans to publicly identify works that are mostly or entirely written with AI, limiting the benefit to consumers. The company will also not require publishers to disclose when content generation is AI-assisted, meaning the works were authored by the publishers themselves with the use of AI tools to “edit, refine, error-check, or otherwise improve” the content, Amazon said.
Amazon Kindle (CyberGuy.com)
“Similarly, if you used an AI-based tool to brainstorm and generate ideas, but ultimately created the text or images yourself, this is also considered ‘AI-assisted’ and not ‘AI-generated,” the company said. “It is not necessary to inform us of the use of such tools or processes.”
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Amazon did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.
