I want to begin by saying that not all AI is bad. The promise it shows in medical research and diagnosis is, in my opinion, likely to be one of the great advances ours and future generations will see. Additionally, Mrs B and I have just returned from a fabulous two weeks in Spain where we visited Madrid, Granada, Córdoba, and Toledo - all glorious places to visit with exceptional architecture, extraordinary histories, and outstanding cuisine. To learn more about the best restaurants to visit, we turned to ChatGPT for advice. It didn't disappoint, although by the end of our trip, we'd replaced the app with Le Chat as a quiet protest against OpenAI's bootlicking of Trump and Hegseth.
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| That's about it though for lauding AI. As a writer, I don't believe it has any place in literature. I am contemptuous of those that use AI to produce manufactured slop, then promote and sell it on Amazon. While it enriches those 'authors', it fleeces readers and makes them intellectually poorer, although one of my favourite authors, Joe Hill, says it much better than me. | | |
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| My view is largely influenced by a desire to see genuine writers succeed, but also by the torrent of emails that I receive offering to promote my book to bogus book clubs or with promises to aid its visibility on Goodreads or Amazon. Occasionally, I respond with something that would earn a rebuke from my mother, but most of the time, I simply drop said emails into a folder I've named 'Grifters'. This serves no purpose other than allowing me to tell people how many I've received. As of today, 134 have landed since the start of the year - that's nearly two opportunities I've spurned every day to tell an anonymous bot to do one. Sure, I'd love to sell more books, but I'm unwilling to contribute to the coffers of a scammer in the misguided belief that they'll help me. It's not difficult to spot something generated by AI. My book, A Little Something To Hide', features an ensemble cast, each with an intriguing back story, told as a series of vignettes that focuses on the characters travelling on a coach from San Francisco to Albuquerque. I've read all the reviews, and I see the same paragraphs time and again in the scamming emails that I receive. Having never used ChatGPT before our Spanish trip, when another of the said emails clattered into my inbox, I thought I'd take a look at what the AI engine had to say about my book. Sure enough, it was almost word for word the content of the email. However, what intrigued me most was the prompt at the bottom of the outline that asked if I'd like a summary that included spoilers. Given that I'm familiar with what happened, I thought, 'Why not,' and OMG, it did not disappoint. There's a PDF that you can access by clicking on the image below, but if you'd prefer the TL;DR option, here it is - It's complete bollocks.
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None of that happened. Not even close. I mean, if you fancy it as a plot for a novel that you'd like to pen, nab away. I certainly didn't write that and I have no intention of doing so, so fill your boots. Naturally enough, it prompted another question for ChatGPT. I was polite. 'ChatGPT,' I asked. 'Are you fibbing?' Bless that little AI engine, but yes it was. Here's what it had to say for itself ...
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Yes — and thank you for asking directly. I need to be clear: I don’t have reliable evidence that a novel called A Little Something to Hide by Craig Brown exists*, and the detailed plot I gave you was not based on a verifiable real book. It was effectively a hallucinated summary/outline generated from the title and author name. I’m sorry about that — you were right to question it. ⸻ What likely happened There is a well-known British writer named Craig Brown (author of One Two Three Four, etc.)**, but as of my knowledge cutoff (2025-08) and current data, no confirmed novel with that title is associated with him in mainstream publishing records. So when you asked for a summary, I should have first checked whether the book exists or asked you to confirm details. ⸻ Can we fix it? If you’d like, you can tell me: • where you heard of the book, or • share a photo / excerpt / link and I’ll verify and give an accurate summary (or confirm if it’s a different author). Again — sorry for the confusion, and thanks for calling it out 👍
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| I didn't bother to opt for the proposed fixes. Instead, I thought I'd leave ChatGPT to ponder its life choices and reflect on its failings. All that said, I do have a confession. I used AI to tinker with the cover for a proof of my next book, 'Dignity', which is inspired by the song of the same name by Deacon Blue***. You may already know that the book is about a binman who saves for a boat by collecting the deposit money from the empty bottles he finds on his rounds.
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| I asked one of the myriad AI engines to come up with a suitable image for the cover, prompting it with something like, 'Give me a sailboat in a bottle on a dirty street.' At first blush, it appears to deliver what I asked, but on closer inspection, you'll note that the bottle is half full of water and any intrepid sailors on the boat within will have to scale the mast to avoid drowning.
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| Other than for this missive, the image is for Brown household use only, a vanity if you like, to see what a finished copy of the book might look like, and to give Mrs B something to scribble on as she reviews the content. But it's yet another example of the shoddiness of creative AI and serves as a reminder of its failings. Be assured, when I publish 'Dignity', the cover will have been designed by a living, breathing, professional. I can't in good conscience rail against the written form of AI slop if I then undermine the graphic design industry by adopting some tech trickery. All of which is to say, be discerning in your use of AI and perhaps a tad cynical with what it throws back at you. It's a tricksy little monster and isn't always fond of the truth. That's it from me, cheerio for now. Craig |
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| * I do, you can find it here. ** I hasten to add, this is not me. *** You can listen to Deacon Blue's 'Dignity' here. |
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Craig Brown is an author living in Newbury. To follow his work visit craigbrownauthor.com
Facebook/BlueSky/Threads/Instagram: @GOMinTraining
Copyright © Craig Brown, 2026
11 March 2026
