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The greatest danger to the livelihood of writers and, consequently, to our society is not distracted audiences. In fact, it is AI.

British publishing industry – contributing more than £11bn – has remained passive while large technology firms collected copyrighted material from the internet to train their algorithms. Recently, an AI startup resolved a $1.5bn copyright case, but the opportunity has without doubt sailed away, and these companies is sailing off with the materials.

As a author representative and leader of one of the largest firms in Europe, I am convinced this is an issue all of us should take seriously – not out of opposition to technology, but because it is vital to preserve human expression. Without the essential element that is intrinsic to being uniquely human – our ability to reason like humans, create stories and imagine new worlds – we will inhabit a diminished world.

Countless renowned artists have written about why narratives are the lifeblood of civilization and how a writer’s purpose is to convey insights we might not want to hear. Collaborating with figures including Elif Shafak and prominent storytellers, I know first-hand where exceptional writing comes from.

True literary creation is not a rehashing of existing content. It is a fusion made up of real-world engagement, experienced trauma and absorbed the spirit of the times; it is the outcome of talent, technique and passion.

The compulsion to write is not something that can be encouraged – it is a calling that afflicts the writer. Inspired writers are compelled to create. They might employ editing tools and automated helpers, but little would be more unacceptable to a creator than a plot being presented to them via algorithm that they were then asked to “humanise”.

Some AI Is Harmful

AI that doesn’t supplant the artist, or that can collaborate with them transparently, is not entirely negative. A performer needed for post-production may authorise use of the footage to enhance a film. This will save on budget, environmental impact and production time. A researcher may choose to streamline their fact-checking by customizing their personal AI tools. Language tools may enhance the range of international literature, enriching our literary heritage.

Such uses are important to consider. But it has to be a debate and remain open to the reader. Until recently, creative output has simply been stolen without compensation, and there are too few regulations on distributors, studios, and publishing houses.

What Can We Do?

Let’s establish some fundamental rules for everyone to adopt. A protection framework for AI that ensures two key elements: consent and attribution.

• No AI system should be educated with an author’s work without their unambiguous, informed consent.
• Developers should be mandated to make public the data sources they have used, and be transparent so that rights owners know when their creations have been utilized.
• A creator should also be permitted to exclude their work easily – without having to locate the setting buried beneath thousands of pages of user agreements.

If a creator finds that automated systems is altering the message of their output so that it is fundamentally changed from the initial piece, they should be allowed to revoke permission for its use.

We should also introduce a tagging mechanism – reminiscent of GM food labels – that restrict retailers from offering algorithmically created stories without unambiguous credit. Similarly, copyright must be upheld, and this can only be done at the government tier and even on an international front – an international framework.

Importantly, AI developers should not be enabled to appeal to “free usage” to excuse their collecting of protected content. This presents a real danger to the sanctity of copyright. It distorts the true spirit of the “fair use” concept, which was designed for academics to quote without fees a certain limited amount from copyrighted material.

A few basic rules may not seem especially urgent, but they will shape how young people are taught, how historical accounts are told, and how we define humanity itself.