Writers Against AI
Paul Kingsnorth, from his essay "Writers Against AI"...
"I have decided, as a writer, not to consciously engage with AI in any way in the course of my work, and I want to give other writers - and readers - who share these views a chance to demonstrate it, and band together in refusal of the machines and in celebration of raw human creativity and the power of stories. This essay, then, is the launch of a campaign of refusal and resistance. I have no funding and no plan, and I don’t intend to run anything - but I don’t need to. Like the Internet itself, resistance to AI is decentralised. Each of us is a campaign hub. Saying no to AI and yes to human stories can happen anywhere. It costs nothing. You can start right here, right now, if you haven’t started already.
In the war against stories, I am taking a side. If you take the same side, then we’re in it together. Let’s gang up. There’s strength in numbers."
This website was created by Mortise & Tenon Magazine in support of (and with the permission of) Paul Kingsnorth, who is neither responsible for nor retains ownership of this site.
“Yes” to human stories…
Kingsnorth's campaign is founded on three pledges:
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I will not use AI in my work as a writer.
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I will not support writers who use AI in their work.
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I will support writers, illustrators, editors and others in related fields whose work is entirely human-made.
He explains, "The first of these points draws a line for our own creative work. We say, as storytellers: we will remain human. With the second, we refuse to lend our voices or our money to anyone who uses this technology to replace human creativity. Finally, we commit to doing something positive: supporting, financially and morally, other creators who are drawing the line too, and refusing to be dehumanised.
If you are a writer who agrees with these pledges and who wants to sign up to this campaign - well, that agreement is all it takes. You’re in, and there’s a very simple way to show it. Colorado craftsman Justin Clark has created a set of logos that can be downloaded and used by any writer who wants to adhere to these three points and resist the use of AI in writing and publishing."