The world’s first book with a stamp of authenticity to show it was written by a human and not by Chat GPT has gone on sale in a move that could transform the global publishing industry, curb the number of AI-generated novels allegedly flooding Amazon, and lead to thousands of lawsuits
British author RR Haywood’s ‘The Undead’ carries a label on its cover with the words ‘NO-AI’, an acronym for ‘Naturally Original – Authentically Invented’.
The book’s sales listing also includes a written warranty that offers readers extra protection in the event it turns out to be bot-made.
It says: “This book was authored by Richard Haywood and not generated by any machine or artificial intelligence. This statement serves as a legally binding guarantee of authenticity and can be used to establish the true creator of this work should any doubt arise.”
Haywood, who is one of Britain’s bestselling self-published authors, created the label in the hope of stemming what he describes as a deluge of “AI tat” now being sold on Amazon.
Last year, Amazon said it was “actively monitoring the rapid evolution of generative AI and the impact it is having on reading, writing, and publishing”.
It created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish through its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to three-a-day.
KDP allows authors to self-publish their books and list them for sale on Amazon’s site.
But Haywood, who has sold more than four million books worldwide – all of which were “written by me and by me only” – said the platform is more popular than ever with would-be novelists looking to cash in on generative artificial intelligence.
Due to the nature of ChatGPT and many authors’ failure to disclose they have used it, it is nearly impossible to get a full accounting of how many bot-made books may be for sale.
But Haywood believes the number could be as high as 100,000 worldwide.
He has already added the NO-AI label to each of his books in The Undead series, and made it available as a free download on his website for other authors and publishers to use.
Haywood, a former policeman, is now urging the wider publishing industry to use it in order to create “lawful transparency” in online book sales.
An official stamp of authenticity offers consumers a clear choice about whether to buy AI-generated material or content crafted by the human hand, he says.
Without such a stamp, authors and publishers will face what he calls “an inevitable flood of civil actions”.
By failing to disclose bot-made content, they are deliberately hoodwinking consumers and could be breaking the law, he argues.
In the UK, false or fraudulent claims that are used to induce a purchase of a product are illegal under the Misrepresentation Act. Similar legislation exists internationally.
He told The European: “The legitimate publishing industry, including platforms like Amazon’s KDP, is under deliberate attack by those seeking quick profits through system exploitation.
“The utilisation of AI software solely for mass-producing low-quality content is escalating rapidly, blurring the line between authenticity and artificiality, and making it increasingly challenging for consumers to discern reality.
“My aim is to establish lawful transparency by creating a simple, future-proof framework that gives consumers a choice.
“While AI-generated content is acceptable for some, the NO-AI label will reassure those seeking quality literature crafted by human authors.
“Without this stamp, it will only be a matter of time before authors and publishers face an inevitable flood of civil actions under UK and international contract law.
“There can be no doubt that books created with AI, in part or in whole, need to make that fact known by law.
“By concealing it, which the majority of AI authors do, consumers are being tricked or otherwise persuaded into making a purchase under false pretences.”
Chat GPT and other AI software can generate entire books from basic prompts in minutes.
Other generative tools allow people to create covers and artwork at the touch of a button and with no previous experience.
There are tutorials on YouTube, TikTok and Reddit that demonstrate how quick and easy it is to create a book and self-publish it on Amazon the same day.
But with no obligation to attribute Chat GPT as the author or co-author of these works, there is currently no way for Amazon to reliably determine what is ‘human’ and what is not.
AI detecting software does exist but is not always accurate.
According to Haywood, who has self-published 40 titles on Amazon, it means tens of thousands of consumers are potentially being duped into buying bot-created books without realising.
The only way to prevent more consumers from being mis-sold, he said, is for authors to “protect their own interests” and guarantee the authenticity of their products.
His NO-AI stamp features four handprints to represent each of the human personality and behavioural types – Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness (DISK).
Three versions are now available for authors to download for free and use on their books.
Haywood has already added the NO-AI stamp to the latest novel in The Undead series and will be giving each of his other books the same label in coming weeks.
He added: “The only people who benefit from this money-making scheme are the AI scammers, who have thus far been laughing all the way to the bank.
“This has to change for the sake of the publishing industry and to protect literature itself.”
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