Your Next Great Read Might Be Certified ‘Organic’

As concerns over the use of artificial intelligence by professional authors continue to grow, a British startup called Books by People has devised a method for publishers to certify their books as "organic" – meaning they were written by genuine humans, not machines. On Wednesday, the company announced it has received approval from the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to begin distributing a mark indicating that a published book was authored by a human. The stamp, resembling a thumbprint, will be placed on the book’s cover.

Esme Dennys, co-founder of Books by People, explains to WIRED that while people are free to seek out AI-generated books, those seeking literature written by real people should be able to find it. "We’re just trying to create that choice," she says.

Unlike previous labeling efforts like Human Authored, which relied on authors’ honest declarations, Books by People requires authors to submit an authorship declaration, runs their manuscripts through proprietary software, and manually reviews early drafts and research materials for signs of human involvement. Dennys notes that they consider various factors that suggest a person wrote the work, such as the natural process of drafting and editing.

Five publishers have already signed up to participate, and the startup anticipates that the first certified book will appear on shelves by the end of the year. This year, the publishing industry has been rocked by several scandals involving suspected AI use by authors, including a canceled $2 million book deal and allegations that a prize-winning short story was generated with AI.

Writers and publishers are more concerned with maintaining public trust in the integrity of their craft than being replaced by AI, according to industry insiders.

The idea of a certification for human-authored books has been welcomed by various writers and editors, who view it as a way to reaffirm their commitment to "organic literature." However, there are concerns about false positives and the potential for a witch hunt against authors. Critics argue that the responsibility should lie with platforms and publishers to disclose when content is AI-generated, rather than publishers asserting that a book is human-authored.