We missed this earlier: Authors publishing books through Amazon’s ‘Kindle Direct Publishing’ (KDP) platform will now have to disclose information on AI-generated content, including text, images, and translations, to the company, as per the company’s new content guidelines. In a blogpost last week, Amazon announced that such declaration norms will be applicable to authors publishing a new book or republishing an existing book with new edits via KDP.
According to the statement, the authors will be solely responsible for verifying that all AI-generated content adheres to the company guidelines. Such verification processes would also include reviewing and editing output generated by AI tools to confirm they do not infringe upon Copyrighted works. It is important to note that, as per a report by the Associated Press, Amazon will not be publicly identifying books with AI, which limits the scope of the policy.
What is AI-generated and AI-assisted content?
Making a distinction between AI-generated and AI-assisted content, the company clarified that authors are not required to disclose AI-assisted material.
According to the blogpost, AI-generated content is defined as text, images, or translations created by an AI-based tool. “If you used an AI-based tool to create the actual content (whether text, images, or translations), it is considered ‘AI-generated’, even if you applied substantial edits afterwards,” the blog read. AI-generated images will include the cover, interior images, and artwork in a book.
Whereas, when an author has created the content by themselves, but has used AI-based tools to “edit, refine, error-check, or improvise”, including text or images, such material will be considered as AI-assisted content.
“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.’ It is not necessary to inform us of the use of such tools or processes,” the blog added.
Why it matters:
At a time when AI-authored e-books are crowding Amazon book listings, the company’s new mandate would help ensure transparency about computer-generated material on the platform. In July, the Authors Guild, a collective of writers in the US, had called out leading AI companies like OpenAI for building AI tools utilising the works authored by humans. Writers, artists, and news publishers have raised concerns in the recent past that generative-AI applications like ChatGPT can generate output that may contain Copyrighted information. Recently, given that most AI-generated e-books are being written using ChatGPT, there are chances that the contents of the book may reproduce the Copyrighted material too. There’s no way to confirm whether publishers remove such content before their books are published for public access.
The Guild in July had asked companies to devise methods for obtaining the consent of the authors and crediting or compensating them for using their works for AI training. The organisation has also welcomed Amazon’s AI-disclosure rules as a step towards ensuring accountability and preventing proliferation of AI-generated books that undermine traditional works. However, the scope of the rule is limited to self-publishers using Amazon’s KDP platform, and that mandate for public disclosure has not yet been implemented. Public disclosure of AI-generated content is critical for transparency and for informing the public in order to assist their decision-making process.
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