I have been an AI researcher for 40 years. What tech giants are doing to book publishing is akin to theft | Toby Walsh

Quick Summary:

I think it’s a digital heistSign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningAustralia’s close-knit literary community – from writers and agents through to the Australian Society of Authors – have reacted with outrage.

Black Inc, the publisher of the Quarterly Essay as well as fiction and nonfiction books by many prominent writers, had asked consent from its authors to train AI models on their work and then share the revenue with those authors.

I have published four books with Black Inc, have a fifth coming out next month, and have a contract for a sixth by the end of the year.

---

More Pictures

---

Read Quick SummarySave Time

or

Article Details

Author / Journalist: Toby Walsh

Category: Artificial-intelligenceTechnology

Markets: United KingdomAustralia

Topics: Technology Australian books Artificial intelligence (AI) Publishing

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Neutral

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-03-06 @ 23:17:54 (2 days ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: theguardian.com

Language: English

Article Length: 1004 words

Reading Time: 6 minutes read

Sentences: 63 lines

Sentence Length: 16 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © The Guardian

News ID: 26709661

View Article Analysis

About The Guardian

Main Topics: Artificial-intelligenceTechnology

Official Website: theguardian.com

Update Frequency: 1 posts per day

Year Established: 1821

Headquarters: United Kingdom

News Last Updated: 21 hours ago

Coverage Areas: United Kingdom

Ownership: Independent Company

Publication Timezone: GMT +8:00

Content Availability: Worldwide

News Language: English

RSS Feed: Available (XML)

API Access: Available (JSON, REST)

Website Security: Secure (HTTPS)

Publisher ID: #122

Publisher Details

Frequently Asked Questions