This Christmas, I received an unusual gift—a book bearing my name, my photo, and glowing reviews. Titled Tech-Splaining for Dummies, it was presented as my “best-seller.” The catch? It was entirely written by artificial intelligence (AI), based on a few prompts provided by my friend Janet.
The book mimicked my writing style but lacked coherence. It mixed self-help with personal anecdotes, was verbose, and contained odd hallucinations—such as references to a pet cat I don’t own. Many sentences began with “As a leading technology journalist…” likely pulled from an online bio.
Janet ordered the book from BookByAnyone, an AI-powered publishing service. According to its CEO, Adir Mashiach, the company has sold 150,000 personalized books since mid-2024, primarily in the U.S. The books cost £26 for a 240-page paperback and are generated using an open-source large language model.
While these AI-written books are marketed as humorous, they raise ethical concerns. There are no restrictions on creating books in someone’s name, including celebrities. However, Mashiach claims the company has guardrails against abusive content, and each book includes a disclaimer stating that it is AI-generated fiction.
The Growing Debate on AI and Copyright
AI’s growing ability to generate content has intensified debates on copyright and intellectual property rights. Some organizations, such as the BBC, have blocked AI developers from scraping their content. Others, like the Financial Times, have partnered with OpenAI.
The UK government is considering a policy change that would allow AI firms to use online content for training unless creators opt out. Critics, including AI ethics advocate Ed Newton-Rex, argue that such changes could undermine journalism, literature, and the arts.
Baroness Kidron, a member of the House of Lords, emphasized that creative industries contribute significantly to the economy and should not be sacrificed in pursuit of AI development. The government, however, insists that no legal changes will be made without ensuring rights holders have better licensing control and transparency.
AI Regulation in the US and Legal Battles
AI regulation remains uncertain in the U.S. Following his re-election, President Trump repealed Biden’s 2023 executive order that required AI firms to disclose system details before public release. The move signals a shift toward reduced regulation, but lawsuits against AI firms continue.
Companies like OpenAI face legal challenges from the New York Times, authors, musicians, and comedians, who claim their content was used without consent. AI firms argue that their actions fall under “fair use,” a legal doctrine with broad interpretations. As scrutiny on AI training data intensifies, these lawsuits could reshape the industry.
China’s DeepSeek Shakes the AI Sector
While the West grapples with AI regulation, China’s DeepSeek has emerged as a major disruptor. Within a week, its AI model became the most downloaded free app on Apple’s U.S. App Store. Unlike OpenAI and Google, DeepSeek claims to have built its model at a fraction of the cost, raising concerns about American AI dominance and security.
U.S. tech giants are now reassessing their strategies. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged DeepSeek’s impressive performance and hinted at accelerating the release of more advanced models. The shift towards efficiency in AI development could redefine how tech companies invest in infrastructure.
The Future of AI in Writing
Despite AI’s rapid advancement, its storytelling ability still has flaws. Tech-Splaining for Dummies was filled with inaccuracies, long-winded passages, and irrelevant metaphors. While AI-generated books can be amusing, they lack the nuance, depth, and emotional intelligence of human-written content—at least for now.
