How NOT to use AI in the Book Industry

You might have heard the news that last week, the Chicago Sun-Times published a list of summer reads that was generated entirely by AI. When you read that it might not seem all that crazy since AI is now a common part of life. But when the list of fifteen books only included FIVE real books, well, that's something to talk about.

We've avoided most AI at Fablefern. Of course we're very aware that there are AI features that we don't even realize are AI. We use spell check. We've used book tracking platforms that have AI features included in their user interface. But, when it comes to our business, we do everything we can to avoid AI.

There are a few reasons for this. First, we don't love the ethical issues that come along with AI. AI is bad for the environment, it's sometimes trained by stolen work, and it replaces the person-ability in many artistic fields. This is probably the number one reason we avoid it.

Another reason, and the reason at the core of this post, is that AI is not accurate all the time. There are lots of stories about how AI has been used without due diligence resulting in inaccurate information being used in official settings. At one point, there was even a new story about AI being used in a court case where it cited cases that were entirely made up. 

The Chicago Sun-Times using AI to create a summer reading list feels a lot less risky than using it in a court case, but there are still a lot of things that we need to consider to see the full picture:

1. How does AI challenge our media literacy? In this case, a summer reading list filled with fake books might just cause readers frustration when they can't find them at their local library. But there is a bigger question about how we discern information and how we're able to tell what is fake and what is real so that we can build knowledgeable communities that aren't susceptible to rumours and propaganda.
2. How does the use of AI in the arts diminish the work of artists, writers, and creators? The willingness to pass off work within the arts world to computers instead of humans speaks to a greater problem of devaluing artistic endeavours. This is something we are all too familiar with as we see arts and culture funding cut to schools and community programming. (Don't get us started about library cuts!)
3. Where to we draw the line with AI? Every day it is becoming harder to avoid AI. We regularly hear "you'll be left behind if you don't embrace AI" and that's a very scary thought. This is a question that we don't have an answer to, but we challenge you think about this as you're encountering AI in your lives.

We don't think that anyone at the Chicago Times-Sun was trying to be sneaky or malicious with this story. We're all feeling the pressure these days to embrace and not avoid AI. But since their list was a bit of a let down, we've put together fifteen summer reads for you to enjoy!