Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
Survey reveals more than half of UK published novelists expect generative AI to fully replace their work and report falling incomes
A new study led by the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge reveals widespread concern among UK-based novelists about the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on their craft and livelihoods.
Of the 258 published novelists surveyed, 51 per cent believe AI could eventually replace their work entirely, and 39 per cent reported that their income has already fallen as a result of AI tools.
A further majority expect further income decline as AI permeates the literary market.
Respondents say a key issue is the unauthorised use of their texts to train large language models, combined with the publication of AI-generated novels at scale.
In particular, romance authors are viewed as most vulnerable, followed by thriller and crime writers—some reporting discovered works online under their name that they did not author, or reviews apparently generated by AI.
The report quotes one established novelist who warned that when “it is cheaper to produce novels using AI … publishers will almost inevitably choose to publish them”, arguing the human-crafted novel may be devalued.
At the same time, around one-third of authors said they already employ AI in limited roles such as research or outlining—but nearly all repudiated the use of AI to write full passages or whole novels.
Authors also expressed frustration with UK policy directions.
They criticised the proposed ‘rightsreservation’ system, under which text-and-data-mining could proceed unless authors opt out, calling instead for informed consent, fair compensation and full transparency from tech firms.
Many see the expansion of AI-driven publishing as eroding the human connection between reader and writer at a moment when children’s reading engagement is already at two-decade lows.
The Cambridge-led research draws on survey and interview data gathered by the BRAID research group and will feed into broader policy-design work at the Centre.
Lead researcher Dr Clementine Collett said the findings underline an “urgent need to protect the value of writing, maintain creative diversity and ensure human authorship remains central.”
With the publishing market already under pressure from digital disruption, the study suggests that authors are bracing for a profound shift in how novels are created, distributed and consumed—and are calling for regulatory and industry safeguards to prevent the wholesale displacement of human storytelling.
Of the 258 published novelists surveyed, 51 per cent believe AI could eventually replace their work entirely, and 39 per cent reported that their income has already fallen as a result of AI tools.
A further majority expect further income decline as AI permeates the literary market.
Respondents say a key issue is the unauthorised use of their texts to train large language models, combined with the publication of AI-generated novels at scale.
In particular, romance authors are viewed as most vulnerable, followed by thriller and crime writers—some reporting discovered works online under their name that they did not author, or reviews apparently generated by AI.
The report quotes one established novelist who warned that when “it is cheaper to produce novels using AI … publishers will almost inevitably choose to publish them”, arguing the human-crafted novel may be devalued.
At the same time, around one-third of authors said they already employ AI in limited roles such as research or outlining—but nearly all repudiated the use of AI to write full passages or whole novels.
Authors also expressed frustration with UK policy directions.
They criticised the proposed ‘rightsreservation’ system, under which text-and-data-mining could proceed unless authors opt out, calling instead for informed consent, fair compensation and full transparency from tech firms.
Many see the expansion of AI-driven publishing as eroding the human connection between reader and writer at a moment when children’s reading engagement is already at two-decade lows.
The Cambridge-led research draws on survey and interview data gathered by the BRAID research group and will feed into broader policy-design work at the Centre.
Lead researcher Dr Clementine Collett said the findings underline an “urgent need to protect the value of writing, maintain creative diversity and ensure human authorship remains central.”
With the publishing market already under pressure from digital disruption, the study suggests that authors are bracing for a profound shift in how novels are created, distributed and consumed—and are calling for regulatory and industry safeguards to prevent the wholesale displacement of human storytelling.
