The year is winding down. I hope you're having a good fall (or spring, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere). I hope you're also ready for another Inscure Writer's Support Group post. Learn more about them on their website and Facebook.
Our hosts this month are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Liza at Middle Passages, J.H. Moncrieff, and Jemima Pett.
I'm not sure if the question for October was meant to tie into the spooky season or not, but it's an interesting one: Many people are calling for writers who use AI to disclose it. Most who employ ghostwriters do not admit it -- do you think authors who use ghostwriters should have to disclose that, too?
I'm not personally familiar with ghostwriting, but even a simple Internet search shows that it's a complex topic. Ghostwriters (or just ghosts) are used in other creative fields such as music or art, and this has been going on for hundreds of years, if not longer. Celebrities may employ ghostwriters to help them write memoirs, but it would be unethical for a student to hire a ghostwriter to write a class paper for them. Publishers sometimes use ghostwriters to "help" big name authors put out more books. There are situations where ghostwriters may actually get a byline or other type of acknowledgement for their work. At the very least, ghostwriters are paid for their efforts, and they have the choice as to whether or not to accept a particular project.
In contrast, AI and large language models are based on writing samples that were stolen without the authors' knowledge, consent, or compensation. (I've mentioned before on this blog that I have proof my work, including my own blog, has been fed into AI models, and I will die mad on that hill.) Like humans, AI is also prone to bias and can make mistakes, though I would trust a trained researcher over AI.
I've been considering this question from the perspective of the true author, but I think this question is meant to consider what's fair to the reader. Ultimately, I do prefer transparency about authorship. Writing is a skill, and being able to write a book says something about a person. If I buy a book because it's by a certain author, I want the named author to be the one who wrote the words, not someone who is very good at imitating their style. If a celebrity hires a ghostwriter, I'll have a different impression of them depending on whether or not I know they hired someone. But I would still prefer a person's writing over AI's.
How do you feel about ghostwriting or AI writing? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
5 comments:
I had no idea ghostwriting had been done for centuries. Thanks for doing the research. I agree that transparency by celebrities would be best, but it may not be expected in some situations.
I also want to know who actually wrote the book and think that person deserves at least credit.
I agree with you here. Ghostwriters sign a contract. If they want credit they should have it written into the contract, or walk away. As a reader, I'd prefer to know who is writing, but I accept that a ghostwriter isn't always revealed. AI basically steals work. It's unacceptable to use AI to create work..
Ghostwriters should get credit if they want it, especially those who write books for celebrities.
Where i live it's officially fall but its still summer as far as the weather goes. I'm hoping that will change soon. In the meantime, I have to keep my drapes shut.
I definitely dont read books that have been ghostwritten or at least that I know have been. Same for AI-written books. I want to read and support my fellow human being's own work, not work from someone who pays to have their story written because they want to look like a writer or a machine's.
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