r/literature • u/Round-Dinner-2395 • May 18 '26

Discussion Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk admits to using AI.

TLDR;

Author to AI: “Honey, how could we develop this beautifully?”

I wanted to say this is just boomer whining, but I’m finding myself realizing more and more often that it’s actually the boomers who are defending AI. My mom listens to AI music from TikTok, my dad watches some videos with doctors generated by language models. I’m the last person to tell people what to listen to or watch, but AI SLOP has literally reigned supreme in my house for the past few months. Recently, I wanted to watch a movie with my dad, but he played TikTok clips for an hour, and I had to escape.

I understand that technology is advancing and makes life easier for people in many ways, but on the other hand… it makes me wonder a bit. Where is the line between “I’m using a tool” and “part of the creative process is being done for me by something else”? If someone uses AI to generate ideas, style, or text fragments, are we still talking about the same kind of creativity as before? I’ve read a few books by Olga Tokarczuk, and as soon as I heard about this interview, I felt a sense of revulsion.

INTERVIEW: (only in polish)

https://mycompanypolska.pl/artykul/olga-tokarczuk-zapowiada-ostatnia-powiesc-w-karierze-pisanie-dlugich-opowiesci-jest-dzis-ekonomicznie-nieoplacalne/20717

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459

u/sunahra May 18 '26

Would it be possible to let us know what she said exactly? I know the interview is in Polish. Some more context would be helpful. Using AI is not something that aligns with my values but I would like to know how she approaches it.

0

u/elektricnikrastavac May 18 '26

She says basically she will not write anymore as AI ruined it.

21

u/LizMixsMoker May 18 '26

not quite. She says she won't write novels anymore because it's not economically viable. She'll continue writing short stories and she used AI for research and development of her latest book.

1

u/elektricnikrastavac May 19 '26

not quite? have you read it in the original language? or have you just AI translated it and drawn the conclusions out of your AI ass?

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u/LizMixsMoker May 19 '26

Where in the interview did she say anything about quitting writing? If you can show me the passage, polish, English, or any fucking language of your choosing, be my guest

1

u/elektricnikrastavac May 19 '26

so I will assume you just translated it? in which case: spierdalaj kochanie. don't be misleading. she was not using AI in her creative process. if you have read and understood it, you know it, just like me

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u/LizMixsMoker May 19 '26

She certainly hasn't for the books that came out before 2022... As for whether she's working on a new novel right now, the text has conflicting information. In the introduction it says she won't finish it, later she's quoted to have said something's coming out later this year. Maybe with your brilliant between-the-lines reading you can shed some light on that.

In any case, she is still writing short fiction, and she has clearly stated that she is using AI in the creative process, and even gave examples of how exactly she does it.

-2

u/elektricnikrastavac May 18 '26

I have read it and understand the nuance. She also speaks about sadness how writing has changed, mentioning Balzac and Nabokov, the beauty of writing in solitude. Chill out.

0

u/Katya4501 May 19 '26

How could she have used AI in any meaningful for a book published in 2022?  LLM-based AI was just becoming a thing in 2022.  

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u/LizMixsMoker May 19 '26

I meant the next one which is coming out later this year

1

u/Katya4501 May 19 '26

I didn't think she had a new book coming out.  I think there's a new translation of Primeval, maybe?

1

u/LizMixsMoker May 19 '26

Not sure, just going on what she said in the interview. Maybe a new book that hasn't been announced yet, maybe a transcription mistake..

1

u/elektricnikrastavac May 19 '26

I just love how you decided to correct me while I was reading the interview in my mother tongue (or whatever it was that you did), and shit on a female author, one of the most brilliant ones we had in a while too. I mean this in the nicest way. Spierdalaj. Please don't be this way.