ChatGPT-written books are flooding Amazon as people turn to AI for quick publishing
- There were over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store as of mid-February listing ChatGPT as an author, but there is no requirement to disclose the use of AI
- Some worry that without more transparency, the technology could put a lot of authors out of work by flooding the market with low-quality books
Until recently, Brett Schickler never imagined he could be a published author, though he had dreamed about it. But after learning about the ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) program, Schickler figured an opportunity had landed in his lap.
“The idea of writing a book finally seemed possible,” said Schickler, a salesman in Rochester, New York. “I thought ‘I can do this.’”
In the edition, Sammy the Squirrel, crudely rendered also using AI, learns from his forest friends about saving money after happening upon a gold coin. He crafts an acorn-shaped piggy bank, invests in an acorn trading business and hopes to one day buy an acorn grinding stone.
Sammy becomes the wealthiest squirrel in the forest, the envy of his friends and “the forest started prospering”, according to the book.
The Wise Little Squirrel: A Tale of Saving and Investing, available in the Amazon Kindle store for US$2.99 – or US$9.99 for a printed version – has netted Schickler less than US$100, he said. While that may not sound like much, it is enough to inspire him to compose other books using the software.