UK Publishers Association CEO calls for transparency amid “Shy Girl” controversy

In the UK, Publishers Association CEO Dan Conway has responded to the discontinuation of Mia Ballard’s novel Shy Girl over suspected AI use and its cancellation in the US.

Conway stated the association’s position is that “all concerned should be transparent about fully AI-generated works so that readers have clarity when they are choosing what to buy”.

“There is no escaping that the submission of AI-generated manuscripts is likely to increase with the availability of tools on the market,” Conway told the Bookseller. “All parts of the publishing ecosystem are grappling with how best to use this new technology, and we won’t all get it right all of the time. But the principles must stand: AI has to be used legally, fairly and transparently and support human creativity to the ultimate benefit of readers.”

Originally self-published last year, Ballard’s novel was set to be released in the US in the coming months and was already available in the UK market when speculation circulated online about the possibility that the text was heavily reliant on generative AI tools. The US launch of the title was subsequently cancelled. 

Speaking to the New York Times, Ballard denied using generative AI in composing the manuscript, but suggested that an editor may have used the technology during revisions prior to the book being self-published.

The UK Guardian, canvassing publishing professionals in light of the Shy Girl cancellation, highlighted the fallibility of AI detection tools, while in the US New York magazine claimed that false accusations of AI use could be disproportionately affecting autistic writers and those for whom English is a second or additional language.

Category: International news