Think AI Is Bad for Authors? The Worst Is Yet to Come

Authors are right to worry about AI, but not for the reasons many think. Author and former tech executive Mike Trigg shares why the worst is yet to come and what that may be.

(This article Originally appearED in Writer’s Digest)

It has been just over a year since the launch of ChatGPT and the subsequent widespread awakening of the power and perils of AI, particularly among authors and publishers. What previously felt like science fiction—an autonomous, generative-AI engine that could author unique and credible written output based on simple prompts—was suddenly not only real, but ubiquitous.

Along with journalists grappling with AI-generated news stories, teachers trying to weed out essays their students didn’t write, and technologists warning of the existential threat to humanity of unregulated AI, the publishing industry has abruptly needed to understand the implications of this transformative technology. As both a full-time author and a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley, including as a founder and executive at multiple AI-based software startups and investment funds, I have deep expertise and a unique vantage point from both sides on this subject.

My observation: Authors are absolutely right to worry about the negative impacts of AI, but it's not for the reasons we think. And the worst implications may be yet to come.