There’s controversy in the Ockham Book Awards as two books by notable authors are withdrawn from competition because their covers were created using AI.

Stephanie Johnson’s collection of short stories 'Obligate Carnivore' and Elizabeth Smither’s collection of novellas 'Angel Train' are the two books cancelled.

Their covers were created using AI and the book awards are on high alert for anything that takes the place of human activity.

The decision to amend the criteria around AI was spurred by a desire to support creative and copyright interests of the country’s writers and illustrators.

So I understand the concern from the creative industries about the rise of AI, but I wonder if they really understand how AI was used in these circumstances.

Covers are created by graphic designers. Sometimes they may commission an artist to draw the cover, but more often they’ve been creating images using computer programmes like Photoshop and various Adobe programmes. 

But in all cases a human is in charge, and there’s no difference here.

Elizabeth Smither’s team had a specific image in mind combining a steam locomotive and an Angel inspired by Marc Chagall. 

A human asked AI to do it. It popped it out and the human refined it. Is that any different to a graphic designer pulling it together in Adobe? 

AI has spooked the creatives. AI bands have had hit albums. Now Paul McCartney is releasing a single that is silent in protest at AI stealing his sound. Morgan Freeman is railing against AI copy of his distinctive voice.

But Elizabeth Smithers and Stephanie Johnson wrote their books. In Stephanie's case the short stories have been written over 20 years. But now her work has been cancelled because of a virtue signalling protest against progress. 

AI is out of the genie’s bottle. It’s important that it’s influence is credited, but it still can’t do it’s own thing. It still needs a human to guide it and so it is like any other tool, including a pen and a piece of paper. 

Meanwhile Thursday we hear the Nvidia result. The bellwether stock of AI. There are bears and bulls and people talking about the bursting of the AI tech bubble as being a thing. 

I just want to warn that AI is still in it’s infancy and there’s a long way to go before it becomes a Terminator film. But what interesting times we live in 

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