Clarkesworld, a renowned publisher of science fiction short stories, has closed its doors to submissions after being inundated with AI-generated pitches that overwhelmed its editorial team. Neil Clarke, the founding editor, said that the publisher had received an alarming number of spam submissions, which were easily identified as having been written using AI language models. Clarke fears that the problem will only worsen as the technology behind AI chatbots improves, making detection more challenging.
Clarkesworld has published authors like Jeff VanderMeer, Yoon Ha Lee, and Catherynne Valente and is one of the few publishers that accept open submissions from new writers. Clarke wrote in a blog post that the publisher’s promise had brought it to the attention of influencers promoting “get rich quick” schemes using AI, which has led to the recent flood of spammy submissions.
Clarke noted that the typical monthly rate of such submissions was ten cases deemed to have plagiarized other authors. However, the release of ChatGPT in 2022, which pushed AI language models into the mainstream, has resulted in a surge in rejections. The publisher rejected 100 submissions in January, banning their “authors” from submitting again. In February, more than 500 were banned.
While detectors exist, they are unreliable, and pay-to-submit sacrifices too many legitimate authors, Clarke wrote. Print submissions are also not viable for Clarkesworld. For now, the magazine is not considering stories from authors until a solution is identified, but Clarke hopes to reopen soon.
Clarke says that the situation is not unique, and other short fiction publishers are experiencing the same problem. “It’s clear that business as usual won’t be sustainable, and I worry that this path will lead to increased barriers for new and international authors. Short fiction needs these people.”
The people causing the problem are from outside the science fiction and fantasy community, driven by “side hustle” experts making claims of easy money with ChatGPT. “They are driving this and deserve some of the disdain shown to the AI developers,” Clarke said.
The rise of generative AI technology is causing unrest beyond fiction circles. Image generation tools like Midjourney, Dall-E, and Stable Diffusion have seen similar controversies, with the Colorado state art fair unknowingly awarding the first prize in its “emerging digital artists” category to an image created by Midjourney. The prize money was received by Jason Allen, who had typed the prompt into the AI tool and entered the output in the fair under his name.
The world of short fiction is facing a concerning trend that may threaten its very existence. The rise of AI-generated spammy submissions is inundating publishers, causing delays and an increase in costs. As a result, some publishers are no longer accepting open submissions, and there is a fear that this problem could lead to an increase in barriers for new and international authors.
One of the most prestigious publishers of science fiction short stories, Clarkesworld, recently closed its doors to submissions after being overwhelmed with AI-generated pitches that inundated its editorial team. Founding editor Neil Clarke said that the magazine usually received ten or so submissions per month that were identified as having plagiarised other authors. However, this number has skyrocketed since the release of ChatGPT last year, and in February, Clarke banned over 500 “authors” from submitting again.
The AI-generated stories are causing unrest across the publishing industry, and Clarke’s fear is that this problem will only get worse as AI language models continue to improve. In his blog post, he noted that detectors are unreliable, and pay-to-submit sacrifices too many legitimate authors. Print submissions are also not viable for Clarkesworld. Until a solution is identified, the magazine is not accepting any stories from authors.
The rise of this concerning trend could have dire consequences for the short fiction industry. If the problem persists, it could lead to a breakdown in the industry, with publishers either raising their submission fees, limiting submission windows, or accepting stories from only known authors. This, in turn, could lead to an increase in barriers for new and international authors, potentially limiting the diversity of voices in the field.
Furthermore, it could lead to a decrease in the quality of short fiction, with authors no longer putting in the hard work to craft engaging stories. It could also lead to a lack of feedback and mentorship for new authors who may be turned away from the field, leading to a significant loss of creativity and innovation.
The rise of AI-generated stories has already caused unrest beyond the short fiction industry. Image generation tools like Midjourney, Dall-E, and Stable Diffusion have seen similar controversies, with the Colorado state art fair unknowingly awarding first prize in its “emerging digital artists” category to an image created by Midjourney. The prize money was received by Jason Allen, who had typed the prompt into the AI tool and entered the output in the fair under his name.
The rise of AI-generated spammy submissions in short fiction has caused concerns not only in the publishing industry but also among authors, readers, and literary communities. Short fiction is a unique space that has nurtured many authors and has been a platform for diverse voices and perspectives. New authors can showcase their talent, hone their craft, and get feedback from experienced editors and peers.
However, the rise of AI-generated stories threatens to diminish the value of short fiction by lowering the quality of stories, making it difficult for legitimate authors to get published, and increasing the workload for editors. The AI-generated stories are often disjointed, poorly written, and lack any emotional or literary depth, which makes them unworthy of publishing. Moreover, the ease of generating stories using AI tools has made it tempting for people to use them for selfish gains, leading to increased spammy submissions.
The situation is especially dire for small, independent publishers who rely on open submissions to discover new talent and publish quality work. These publishers have limited resources and cannot afford the expensive AI tools that can detect plagiarism or machine-written text. This puts them at a disadvantage and increases the chances of getting inundated with spammy submissions.
If the trend of AI-generated stories continues to grow, it could result in losing creativity, innovation, and diversity in short fiction. It could also lead to a lack of representation of underrepresented groups. AI-generated stories are often created by a narrow set of algorithms that are not trained to recognize different cultural perspectives and experiences.
Identifying a solution that can detect AI-generated stories and prevent them from entering the publishing pipeline is crucial. While it is still uncertain how this issue can be addressed, it is clear that short fiction needs to adapt to the changing landscape of technology and the publishing industry. The quality of stories, the diversity of voices, and the reputation of the short fiction industry are at stake. It is up to publishers, authors, and readers to work together to address this problem before it is too late.