A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Use of AI

 

“Every new creative tool—from the printing press to Photoshop—was once met with suspicion, even fear. Today, AI is simply the latest chapter in that long story of tools we first resist, then embrace.

1. Printing Press (15th century)

• Reaction: Fear it would cheapen books, undermine scribes, and spread dangerous ideas too widely.
• Outcome: Became the foundation of modern publishing, democratizing access to knowledge.

2. Photography (19th century)

• Reaction: Criticized as mechanical illustration and not true art; painters worried it would replace them.
• Outcome: Accepted as both documentary and artistic medium, now indispensable in publishing and journalism (and elsewhere).

3. Word Processors (20th century)

• Reaction: Some authors felt typing on computers was inauthentic compared to a pen or typewriter (an easy way out, i.e. not real writing).
• Outcome: Became the default tool for writing, editing, and publishing—no one questions it today.

4. Photoshop & Digital Editing (late 20th century)

• Reaction: Concerns about “fake” images and manipulation. Calls for disclosure in journalism.
• Outcome: Normalized as a creative and corrective tool. Disclosure only required when images mislead (e.g., news photos).

5. AI Tools (21st century)

• Reaction: Current wave of suspicion—fear of deepfakes, loss of authenticity, or machines replacing human creativity (and human jobs).
• Outcome (emerging): Likely to settle into the same pattern: AI as a tool for drafting, editing, and illustration, with disclosure only when realism could mislead.

Bottom line: Every new tool feels threatening at first. Over time, it becomes just another part of the creative process. AI is following the same trajectory—today’s paranoia will likely fade, and tomorrow it will be treated like spell‑check or Photoshop: useful, ordinary, and unremarkable unless misused.

Like the printing press, photography, word processors, and Photoshop before it, AI will eventually be seen as just another tool in the publishing process. For now, for transparency, I note simply: visual created with AI; text AI used at times in editing.”

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