AI ‘strips writing of its humanity’ as biography firm turns to robots

ARTIFICIAL intelligence will “strip words of humanity”, writers have claimed after it was introduced as part of the process of publishing loving biographies of ordinary lives.

Authors have had their fees heavily reduced after a publisher, which offers people the opportunity of having their own biography, adopted artificial intelligence to transcribe interviews with subjects.

Story Terrace’s introduction of an AI programme to carry out such a central part of the writing process is being seen as a groundbreaking step. But it has left writers fearing for their livelihoods and the quality of the work produced.

Story Terrace, which describes itself as “your personal biographer” has told its writers: “Interviews should be conducted as normal (no robots involved at this stage), and then the transcripts will be fed into a generative AI program, which should produce the main text of the project. The writer’s main job, then, is to review this, and to make any edits or additions where needed.”

The firm has told its authors that their fees will be reduced by as much as 50 per cent as a result of their reduced input.

One author who has written several such biographies said she feared the introduction of AI threatened to damage the art of writing.

The author, who wished to remain anonymous, said they could no longer work with Story Terrace, adding: “There’s no creativity involved. There’s no sensitivity or concern about tone in what AI produces. It strips the words of humanity.

“When I interview someone and then write up what they say I immerse myself in their life story. An AI robot cannot replicate a writer’s creative output.”

The author said the introduction of AI as a “cost cutting exercise” to slash payments to writers would prompt fear among the wider public over the use of dehumanising technology.

“It taps into the fear that robots are taking over. It’s chilling,” they said.

Critics say the use of AI by Story Terrace is at odds with the publisher’s ethos of providing a deeply personal service for people who want to pay for their life story to be told in print.

Rutger Bruining, who set up Story Terrace, said: “AI is just a tool. There is no content that we create that hasn’t been touched by human hands.”

He would not discuss the issue of fees for writers, but added: “There are writers who don’t like the new process and ones who love it because they’re spending less time on transcribing interviews and more time on the interview itself.”