aceuse of generative AI for editing literary fiction in trade publishing
Source article: Ethics and the use of generative AI in professional editing
Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (GnAI) has garnered significant attention worldwide across diverse industries, including in book publishing. To date, more attention has been paid to its potential in creative collaboration and less to the editorial possibilities of its application. Interest has accelerated since the breakthrough of a new Large Language Model in late 2022. This paper engages with the ethical and industrial implications of using GnAI in a creative context, namely literary publishing. It…
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Remarks of Office of Government Ethics Director Walter M Shaub, Jr by Office of Government Ethics Director Walter M Shaub, Jr.. Public domain
In a July 2024 peer-reviewed paper, researchers examined generative AI in book publishing by using a published story as a test case to compare edits made by GnAI with edits made by professional editors over multiple drafts and at different stages of editorial development. The work focuses on literary fiction editing within trade publishing.
The comparison matters for publishing labor because editing relies on trust, intellectual property stewardship, and the author-editor relationship to shape quality literature. The paper highlights that it is still unclear whether professional editing principles translate to GnAI, leaving open how roles, accountability, and quality standards would change if AI editing were adopted.
- Study uses a published story as a test case to compare GnAI edits with professional editor edits over multiple drafts.
- Focus is literary publishing and trade publishing context, specifically literary fiction editing.
- Paper frames analysis around intellectual property, trust, author-editor relationship, and evolving professional roles in shaping quality literature.
Researchers tested GnAI for literary fiction editing by comparing AI edits to professional editor edits across multiple drafts and stages to explore editorial possibilities.
Applying GnAI to literary fiction editing raises unresolved ethical and industrial concerns about intellectual property, trust, the author-editor relationship, and whether core professional editing principles translate to AI.
The rundown
The paper situates its analysis after the late 2022 large language model breakthrough, noting that attention has focused on creative collaboration more than editorial application. It uses a published story as a test case to compare GnAI edits with professional editor edits across multiple drafts and stages of editorial development in the trade publishing context.
The authors frame the comparison around principles and practices that underpin professional editing, asking how those translate to GnAI, and organize the discussion around risks and opportunities, including intellectual property, trust, and the author-editor relationship.
Sources
- Peer-reviewedAI and Ethics2024-07-15
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