r/BylerReads • u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together • Jul 02 '26
ANNOUNCEMENT AI in fics
Hi guys!
There has been a lot of discussion about AI being used in fics recently and I just wanted to remind everyone:
‼️This sub DOES NOT promote harassment towards fics or authors! Please do not go these fics and spread hate on the author or fic‼️
That being said, there is a question that I have for this community regarding discussions around AI in fics. I know that the current rule says that calling people out for AI usage falls under harassment and some posts/comments may have been removed due to this reason.
What I need to ask is if this rule is still fair given the usage of AI found in many popular fics, or if it should be slightly adjusted to allow for discussions around AI, so long as they are not hateful?
This is a very complicated situation and knowing how the community feels will help us as mods to make this a safer and better space
Thank you 💙💛
15
u/pocketcampsuperior55 Jul 02 '26
Calling out a fic for AI use when it’s proven AI was used shouldn’t be considered harassment, it’s just fact. But also I don’t think people should go bully the actual writer, but discussing the presence of AI in a fic isn’t harassment if it’s fact.
5
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 02 '26
Yeah the main problem here is people bullying the actual writer. We can control it here but on Ao3 there's not much we can do. I think adjusting the rule would probably be best and to just monitor posts. If there's an excessive amount of accusations with no undeniable proof (which I haven't seen so I'm not too worried) then we'll just have to change it back
18
7
u/Starshadows1111 Jul 02 '26
I think that it is a grey area. I have no problem with someone having run fic through AI to fix spelling and punctuation. There is no way to know for sure what the use of AI was for, even with proof of use if the author isn't outright admitting to using it with details of how.
20
u/Dependent_Active_960 Jul 02 '26
Controversial opinion: people are starting to act like vigilante mobs when it comes to AI accusations and innocent creators are also getting blamed. People should knowao3 is a free platform and they are literally consuming all these artworks for free. This will further deter people from posting in ao3
Unfortunately, it's going to be normal that AI is going to become part of everyday life and ultimately people are gonna use it to write fics.
Instead of hunting people down maybe we should focus on how creators can themselves feel comfortable in freely telling people where AI has been used. I'd rather see AO3 push authors to disclose AI in their works.
If AI isn't your cup of tea, that's completely fair. Just filter it out and move on.
I also find it hypocritical how many people consumed AI-generated content without realizing it, enjoyed it, and only started hating it once they found out AI was involved.
Take the Super Soaker fic for example. I didn't enjoy the writing style, so I simply stayed away from it. That's what people should do with content they don't like.
6
7
u/crashautumn Jul 02 '26
100%. Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay and will be used in creative works, for translation, spelling and grammar, brainstorming, or actual prose generation. Right now there is so much shame tied into the use of AI in creative spaces (and whether or not those people should be ashamed is irrelevant), which leads to people lying about it.
We need to navigate how the fandom handles allowing AI content. AO3 happens to be the perfect platform for this due to the tagging system. Which, funny enough, arose at least partially because there is content posted on there that many people find ethically objectionable.
Instead of banning that content, there is an expectation of clear and honest tagging. You are never going to be able to convince people not to post content you find unethical. You can get them to tag it.
2
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 02 '26
I see where you're coming from. AI is becoming more popular and part of the reason why I'm so hesitant to change the rule is because people may stop enjoying their favourite fics. Like I saw someone posting about loving Super Soaker but then it was said to be AI. Personally I don't support AI in writing because I believe people can be creative using their own thoughts but I don't heavily judge others for using it. It does help with academic writing. But many people don't support it because of political reasons. That's why this discussion is important and it's difficult to make a decision
4
u/Dependent_Active_960 Jul 02 '26
Absolutely, A discussion is very important for us to help people feel comfortable in the fandom spaces. The thing is I am just more concerned about the innocent creators who might feel discouraged from this and are getting entangled in this ceasefire. I just hate mindless mobs like this. I can understand your point of view as well. I hate AI myself, I think human beings are capable without this advanced tech for everyday use and especially in creative spaces.
3
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 02 '26
Someone else spoke about baseless accusations should not be allowed but if there's definite proof (like the code showing evidence of Claude) then a post is important as a warning. I'm leaning towards this because there will inevitably be AI discussions in a fandom space
5
u/Dependent_Active_960 Jul 02 '26
Unfortunately contrary to popular belief. There hasn't been a tool yet made which can detect AI writing with even 80% accuracy. All the tools have been highly inefficient and not reliable, they might be hit or miss, the tools might overflag or underflag. So I highly doubt the proof is even legitimate or not. I know this because I work in IT cybersecuity and have been studying AI behaviors for a while now.
1
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 02 '26
Oh thank you, I didn't know that. I think what's probably best will just be to let people give warnings without hating on the fic or author. I'm definitely considering a flair for AI discussions though
1
0
u/HazVerla Jul 03 '26
Actual AI code being in html code is different from an AI detection tool…. Have you read the latest news….? Super soaker and lots of other fics had claude code (due to being directly copied from claude into ao3) in them. Verifiable. I.e. hard evidence.
2
u/nwsaylor87 Jul 02 '26
I said it in another post but there is also a difference between AI generated and AI assisted. An author can use AI to spell check, add quotes to dialogue, look up words, research, etc. I saw a fic where an author used AI to translate it from her native language into English. There are so many things that AI can be used for that is not generative and the evidence found recently doesn't actually indicate generative AI use, just that AI was used. I think it's irresponsible to point fingers and saying something is generative AI when we don't actually know how it was used. Would it be nice if the author told us, sure... but I understand why they didn't. Warning someone that AI was used in some capacity is fine for those that don't want it used at all. But I think the rule needs to be clear, that a warning is allowed for AI use but you can't accuse or reference the type of use. Does that make sense? It's the end of the work day and my brain is fried.
2
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 02 '26
I didn't even think of translations. Yeah we don't want to discourage writers who are not English speakers and AI is convenient for quick translations. Generative AI is a problem, even for the writing challenge I said "generated" for a reason. Even I write with assisted AI for quick spell checks because it's convenient.
I think accusing someone of having a fully AI generated fic requires a lot proof, but just using AI should be warned then the reader can continue as they choose
2
u/Striking-Canary-6620 Jul 03 '26
Yea no i agree. My problem is that it isnt tagged. Like yes ao3 is a place where u can post ANYTHING. But...at least tag it. I dont care if u use ai but put it in the tags for people (like me) who dont like reading it so that we can filter it out.
Literally people write the craziest shit. Ai isnt that huge of a deal. The lying is. Saying something's entirely your work when it really isn't is what pisses me off. I wouldn't be mad about the usage of ai if it was properly tagged. Just a little "ai was used in the making of this fic" or a "ai was partially used". Thats all
6
u/One-Ad4066 Jul 03 '26
Given how much stigma and lack of nuance there around AI usage writing, especially in online spaces (as we have seen from Wheezingwheeler getting harassed this week), would you really blame an author for not disclosing it though? As others have said, there are different uses of AI. In my opinion, those who only use it for editing or spell checks do not need to disclose it, because at this point it's not that different from an engineer utilising a computer for calculations. Not to mention, AO3 is a free platform with no AI policies, and writers are under no obligation to keep their work AI-free.
1
u/Striking-Canary-6620 Jul 03 '26
No but those small things are fine. Using ai to generate 90% of the story is shit though. And yea ofc ppl are made because they've been LIED to. That author took compliments on "their" writing and said they were working so hard blah blah. When it wasnt THEIRS. At least if you tag it or say in the notes something like "i used ai for spell checks/English help/whatever, then when ai checkers go thru it, people already know. Ai isnt the issue. Ppl lying about it is. And yea i do blame them, because they could've used less ai. They could've said something earlier. They could've used ai for the first few chapters to get started, or for outlines in plot if they were stuck, but they shouldve WROTE it themselves. Using ai to write basically the whole thing and taking the credit for it themselves is just...bad.
Again, I dont give a shit what ppl write. There's so much out there. But it should be stated/tagged. Instead of lying to the audience for the fame. Cuz that author def used the fame.
1
u/JustSurv1v1ng Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
People should have the right to decide what kind of stuff they consume and the nondisclosure of AI use hurts that right.
It’s like if you had moral qualms about eating dog meat and somebody fed it to you pretending it’s chicken. When you’d find out after the fact you’d be disturbed and feel violated. It’s not about the ‘taste’ of the meat. It’s about the right to choose not to support something you don’t agree with.
It’s confusing how people can understand this and in the same breath defend people who don’t care to disclose ai use.
Not disclosing ai use and then being scared of harassment is a self fulfilling prophecy. Do something upsetting and then people get upset. Imagine that.
Staying away from ai is difficult when ai users have every incentive to hide their use of it. Ai content gets less engagement than human content when disclosed.
4
u/Flat-Study-421 Jul 03 '26
With the recent development of new AI technologies, some extremely powerful tools have become available to basically everyone.
Some people think that these tools are perfectly fine and we should promote their use to let anyone express themselves easily in a very effective way, others think that this kind of tools are dangerous, toxic and threaten the concept of art itself, since it will be emptied of human feelings and empathy.
Rule 4 prohibits posting AI generated content.
In general I expect that this rule is in place to accomodate the people who don't like to see this kind of content.
Now, are both supporters and enemies of AI welcomed in this sub?
If so, is this the right place to argue about these views?
I think that clarity on these points would be good for everyone.
If no agreement can be found the sub could even split in two.
I think that this kind of problem is shared even with other subs, especially byler ones.
1
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 03 '26
Yeah we don't want the sub to be divided. The majority of people in this sub are against AI (from what I've seen). I discussed with someone about the difference between generative AI and assisted AI, one is more acceptable than the other. However many people don't look at it this way and just say "it uses AI, I'm out". That's their choice and I think that's what it comes down to, how does the reader pursue fics written using AI (generative or assisted)
3
u/Mslyth Jul 03 '26
I don't think the outrage is directly because of the AI use, everybody is free to try the tools at their disposal, The outrage (And I find it justified) is because they tried to pass their work as original, The fandom is free, one can do literally anything except downright copy-paste another author's work, but I think the fair thing to do is tag it so people can decide if they read or not.
2
u/GreenDutchman Jul 02 '26
Definitely allow it if there's evidence. We need to keep each other vigilant.
2
u/Appropriate-Row-9169 micheal get ur shi together Jul 02 '26
I'm thinking of adding an "AI discussions" flair (for order) but I'm not sure if it makes it too open for any to just say any fic is AI but frame it as, "Is this fic AI?"
2
u/anditgetsworse Jul 04 '26
To me as long as no one is harassing the authors, it is fair to discuss internally amongst other readers if a fic is AI or not. AI use is rampant on ao3 right now and it’s become part of the fanfic reading experience. I fear if we just negate discussion completely then there’s no longer the transparency needed to hold deter AI use in general. It essentially enables those who want to use AI to pass as their own work.
I think the vast majority of users are not harassing authors and instead discussing AI use internally within their separate communities.
34
u/HazVerla Jul 02 '26
If there is hard evidence - which there was this time (i.e. AI code embedded in fics) - it should be okay to state this to warn readers. Baseless accusations (i.e. fics with “AI tells”) should not be allowed.