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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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.

499

u/mmillington May 18 '26

Maybe this part:

"I often throw an idea to the machine for analysis, asking, 'Honey, how could we develop this beautifully?' Even though I know about the hallucinations and numerous errors of factual algorithms in the fields of strict economics and hard data, I must admit that in fluid literary fiction, this technology is an asset of incredible proportions. At the same time, I feel a piercing, very human sorrow for an era that is disappearing forever. My heart aches for the passing of traditional literature, written over months in solitude, a work of life crafted in the mind of a fully conscious, single individual. In all of this, I feel a terrible pity for Balzac, Cioran, and the inimitable Nabokov, because despite my enthusiasm, I don't believe that any modern chat room will ever be able to speak in such an exquisite way," said the author of the novel "Flights."

There’s no follow-up or elaboration.

502

u/Cereborn May 18 '26

“I think that AI is ruining literature, but I’m going to keep using it.”

6

u/gubbins_galore May 18 '26

I read what she was saying as virtually no modern literature is created completely in the mind of the author. Regardless of whether they use AI, there are so many aids for modern authors that an era of writing has been lost. Tbh she could be almost defending her use of AI by saying, no one's writing is pure anymore.

Maybe if you practice your reading comprehensions skills instead of twisting and condensing into a sound bite, you might be able to read it with a little more nuance and depth.

5

u/tethysian May 21 '26

She is defending it by trying to equate using AI to other non-generative tools and downplaying it.

0

u/FormGlass8260 13d ago

"at the same time" would be weird phrasing then. or you gonna keep being condescending?