US Authors Guild sets up portal to certify books from ‘human intellect’ and not AI

We live in an increasingly AI-saturated world, and many creatives have been sounding the alarm when it comes to creative and existential threats AI models represent. It has come to the point where differentiation is needed between cultural works created by human minds and those generated by AI.

The Authors Guild, a US body representing writers, knows the score and has set up an online portal for members to certify that their books “emanated from the human intellect” and not from artificial intelligence.  

The guild, a non-profit which represents published novelists and nonfiction writers, is calling the initiative “Human Authored.” 

“The Human Authored initiative isn’t about rejecting technology - it’s about creating transparency, acknowledging the reader’s desire for human connection, and celebrating the uniquely human elements of storytelling,” guild CEO Mary Rasenberger said in a statement. 

“Authors can still qualify if they use AI as a tool for spell-checking or research, but the certification connotes that the literary expression itself, with the unique human voice that every author brings to their writing, emanated from the human intellect.” 

The certificate is a simple, round logo with two boldfaced words inside: “Human Authored.” 

According to the guild, authors can have their work certified by logging into the portal, entering information about their book and signing a licensing agreement that will enable them to use the specially designed logo on “book covers, spines, or promotional materials.” 

The guild plans to register the “Human Authored” logo with the US Patent and Trademark Office and eventually open the system to non-members. 

It remains to be seen whether similar themes will be made available to authors in Europe. Only last year, the UK’s Society of Authors (SoA) conducted a survey that found more than a third of translators had lost work due to generative AI. The UK’s largest trade union for writers and translators said that there is an “urgent need” for government regulation of AI tools.