The nonprofit behind National Novel Writing Month, an annual tradition in which writers try to crank out the first 50,000 words of a novel in November, is facing backlash from authors after it said it would not object to the use of artificial intelligence in its popular event.
AI use in literature has stoked pushback in recent years. Last fall, blockbuster writers including George R.R. Martin, Jodi Picoult and Jonathan Franzen banded together to sue ChatGPT maker OpenAI for allegedly using their work to train its artificial intelligence tools. A growing group of artists, musicians and Hollywood writers are also trying to stop tech companies from benefiting from their work without paying for it.
Here’s what to know about the latest literary controversy.