HarperCollins Partners With AI Company, Authors Debate Participation

HarperCollins partners with an AI company to use nonfiction books for training, offering authors $2,500, allowing them to opt in.

HarperCollins, one of the world’s leading publishers, has entered into a partnership with an unnamed artificial intelligence technology company, enabling select nonfiction works to be used for AI model training.

This agreement, confirmed by 404 Media, marks another instance of the publishing industry’s intersection with emerging technologies. The deal permits the limited use of nonfiction backlist titles to enhance AI quality and performance.

Authors have the option to participate or decline, with HarperCollins presenting it as an opportunity for collaboration while emphasizing its commitment to protecting authors’ rights. The one-time payment for participation has been set at $2,500, as reported by 404 Media.

By allowing authors to decide whether to opt in, the company attempts to address differing views on AI’s role in the creative process. However, the limited payment and the use of copyrighted materials have reignited industry debates about AI’s impact on intellectual property and creative labor.

Author Daniel Kibblesmith, known for his children’s book Santa’s Husband, shared details of the offer through Bluesky.

Abominable.

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— Daniel Kibblesmith (@kibblesmith.com) 15 November 2024 at 16:36

He revealed communication from his agent describing the AI deal, which included an explanation of its purpose in training AI models while compensating authors.

The message also acknowledged controversies surrounding the use of copyrighted content in generative AI development, particularly when such use occurs without proper recognition or compensation.

In a statement to The A.V. Club, Kibblesmith wrote that, “It seems like they think they’re cooked, and they’re chasing short money while they can. I disagree. The fear of robots replacing authors is a false binary.”

“I see it as the beginning of two diverging markets, readers who want to connect with other humans across time and space, or readers who are satisfied with a customized on-demand content pellet fed to them by the big computer so they never have to be challenged again,” Kibblesmith added.

The deal underscores the growing tension between technological advancement and the preservation of traditional creative industries. As AI continues to shape the future of publishing, debates about the fair use of intellectual property and the role of human creativity are likely to intensify.