Barnes & Noble clarifies AI-book stance

Barnes & Noble’s position on AI-generated books narrowed on Friday after several days of online backlash over comments by Chief Executive James Daunt. Publishers Weekly reported on May 22 that Daunt was not announcing a blanket acceptance of AI-written books and said the chain does not currently sell them, as far as he knows. He also said Barnes & Noble would remain alert to books that “masquerade” as something they are not. The dispute grew out of a May 18 interview on NBC’s “Today,” where Daunt said he had “no problem” selling AI-written books if they were honestly presented to customers. That clip circulated widely and prompted criticism from readers, writers and online book communities, according to follow-up coverage from NBC News, USA Today and other outlets. (publishersweekly.com) ### What exactly did Daunt clarify on Friday? Publishers Weekly reported on May 22 that Daunt wanted to clarify he was not declaring an open-door policy for AI-generated books at Barnes & Noble. The trade publication said he refrained from issuing a blanket ban, but also said the company does not knowingly sell such books now. (today.com) Daunt also said Barnes & Noble was maintaining “vigilance” against AI-generated books that present themselves as works by real authors, according to Publishers Weekly’s account of his remarks. That clarification moved the company’s public stance from a broad theoretical openness to a narrower focus on labeling and deception. ### What did he say that triggered the backlash? (publishersweekly.com) On May 18, Daunt told “Today” that he had “actually no problem selling any book” so long as it did not pretend to be something it was not and had a quality readers wanted. In the same interview, he said that if an AI-written book said it was AI-written, “then we will stock them,” according to NBC’s published transcript and follow-on reports. (publishersweekly.com) Those remarks were read by many online as a green light for AI-generated books at the largest U.S. bookstore chain. Fast Company, USA Today and other outlets reported that readers objected to the prospect of shelf space going to AI-written titles and raised concerns about plagiarism, disclosure and the effect on human authors. (today.com) ### Is Barnes & Noble saying it will never carry AI-written books? Daunt’s clarified answer was no. Publishers Weekly said he remains open to AI-written books if they are clearly labeled and not misleading, while stopping short of any broad endorsement or active rollout. (fastcompany.com) Other coverage this week described the same condition in similar terms. Business Insider’s report said Daunt was fine with stocking AI-written books if they were labeled, and Yahoo’s follow-up said the company was responding after boycott calls spread online. ### Does Barnes & Noble say it already sells AI-generated books? (publishersweekly.com) Daunt said Barnes & Noble does not currently sell AI-generated books, “as far as I’m aware,” according to Publishers Weekly. That wording left open the possibility that some titles could be difficult to identify, but the company’s stated position was that it is not knowingly carrying them. (africa.businessinsider.com) In the earlier NBC interview, Daunt had acknowledged the practical difficulty of knowing with certainty whether some books in a large inventory were made with AI. Barnes & Noble operates more than 600 stores, and Daunt said in the interview that the chain carries hundreds of thousands of titles. ### What happens next? (publishersweekly.com) Publishers Weekly’s May 22 report is the clearest statement so far of Barnes & Noble’s current position: no blanket acceptance, no known AI-generated books on shelves, and continued scrutiny of misleading titles. Any further test of that stance is likely to come if a clearly labeled AI-written book is submitted through normal publishing and retail channels. (today.com) The next public marker will be whether Barnes & Noble or Daunt issues a formal policy beyond the interview clarifications published this week. As of Friday, the latest named participants in that discussion were Daunt, NBC’s “Today,” and Publishers Weekly. (today.com) (publishersweekly.com)