ChatGPT-written books are flooding Amazon as people turn to AI for quick publishing

There were over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store as of mid-February listing ChatGPT as an author, but there is no requirement to disclose the use of AI

Some worry that without more transparency, the technology could put a lot of authors out of work by flooding the market with low-quality books

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A response by ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, seen on its website in this illustration picture taken on February 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:30am, 22 Feb 2023Updated: 7:32pm, 22 Feb 2023

Until recently, Brett Schickler never imagined he could be a published author, though he had dreamed about it. But after learning about the ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) program, Schickler figured an opportunity had landed in his lap.

“The idea of writing a book finally seemed possible,” said Schickler, a salesman in Rochester, New York. “I thought ‘I can do this.’”

Using the AI software, which can generate blocks of text from simple prompts, Schickler created a 30-page illustrated children’s e-book in a matter of hours, offering it for sale in January through Amazon.com’s self-publishing unit.

In the edition, Sammy the Squirrel, crudely rendered also using AI, learns from his forest friends about saving money after happening upon a gold coin. He crafts an acorn-shaped piggy bank, invests in an acorn trading business and hopes to one day buy an acorn grinding stone.

Sammy becomes the wealthiest squirrel in the forest, the envy of his friends and “the forest started prospering”, according to the book.