This is my public notice that I do not use artificial intelligence (AI) to create my books, and I never will.
Writing. I wrote every word in every book that I have ever published, and that will not change going forward. I will never use AI to create or draft any of the plots, scenes, characters, dialogue, or anything else. 100% of what you read in my books comes from me, unless it is a quote from someone else (which, of course, I will properly attribute to them).*
*And just so you know, I write all my blog posts, and I always will.
Editing. I have not and I never will use AI in my editing process. I will not run any sort of AI to tweak or massage my words. I have and will continue to rely on actual humans for revisions and improvements to my books.
Artwork. I will not knowingly use AI-generated art for my covers or interior images. I will either: a) use commercially available artwork that I can verify was created by humans, and for which I have paid a license for, or have a subscription to (such as Book Brush); or b): I will contract with professional artists for graphics that they create without the use of generative AI.
None of my current titles (of which I have published 10 at the time of this posting) have AI artwork in them. If, in the future, I learn that any of my releases contain AI-generated art, either through error or duplicity on the part of the artist, I will replace those covers and/or images as soon as possible, and I will never contract with that artist again.
The words and art in every single one of my books were, and will always be, created and produced by real people, not AI.
While AI can be a valuable tool (for example, in marketing), in my opinion, its place is not in creating a book that a reader pays for, with the expectation that it is a unique piece of literature written by an actual human being. As an author, I want people to read my words, not text fabricated and regurgitated onto a screen by a ‘bot.
There are authors who do not agree with me that AI should not be used to produce books. Some of them believe that AI is nothing more than the latest innovation in writing, the next step, no different from electric typewriters or word processors. I do not think less of those authors, but I do not share their perspective.
Certainly, I could write more quickly, publishing more books (perhaps with fewer typos), by using AI. Certainly, I could save money on cover art. But I have been a writer for 50 years: being an author defines me. I will not reduce my lifelong passion to a chore that can be performed by a machine, as if writing books is akin to doing laundry.
I would not be proud to put my name on any works produced by AI, nor would I feel right charging people money for them. So, you will find no AI in my books. Not now. Not ever.
Kenton Kilgore writes books for kids, young adults, and adults who are still young. Follow Kenton on Facebook for frequent posts on sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. You can also catch him on Instagram.
