A seemingly never-ending flood of new artificial intelligence (AI) ‘tools’ is starting to put the credibility of authors under a very intense microscope. The more AI advancements are made, the more convoluted it can become to tell what is Gen-AI writing and what is authentically human. Ultimately, generative AI belongs nowhere in writing or publishing, yet AI scandals seem to be the only stories getting published as of late.
Recently, Mia Ballard, author of the horror novel Shy Girl, has been under extreme amounts of backlash following the discovery that Shy Girl is close to 78% generative AI. The book was first released online in February 2025 and was quickly picked up by Hachette Book Group in July 2025, with the novel’s physical release date being November 2025 in the UK and April 2026 in the US. In March 2026, the New York Times released an article criticizing the book signing with Hatchette, unleashing the backlash against Ballard for not only using AI, but also stealing the cover art for her book from the artist Whyn Lewis.
This, on its own, is not a great look for Ballard or Hachette; however, Ballard is not the first to be caught. Countless originally self-published authors are being caught using generative AI and even getting so careless that they leave their generative AI prompts in their published work. As generative AI becomes more mainstream and accessible, it is being used rampantly in the self-publishing sphere. As many of these independent authors write as a hobby or as a passion project, with no deadlines or editor to report to, it becomes then a question of why there is such an influx in using AI?
Many of these ‘writers’ claim they only use generative AI to proofread, edit, or pass back and forth ideas with another ‘being’. However, most authors using AI do not disclose their AI use to readers. One study by BookBub of 1,200+ authors found that 74% of the authors who use generative AI do not disclose their AI use to readers. Of the 26% who do disclose it, most are doing so via their email newsletter, social media, website, or blog.
Not only is generative AI discrediting the creative process and the thousands of authors who write their own work, but it is also starting to infringe on the intellectual property of other authors. Authors who use generative AI are exploiting copyrighted work, flooding the market with low-quality formulaic content, all while devaluing their own creative skills and livelihood as writers.
Where do we draw the line on how incorporated AI can be into creative spaces before another Shy Girl pops up? What we are seeing already is generative AI bleeding into both the self-publishing and traditional publishing spaces, with publishing companies overlooking the use of AI. What we need to be seeing is some accountability and stronger regulations surrounding AI in all areas of life, especially in creative spaces.