Wired: Publishers are quietly using AI as staff push back

According to Wired, interviews with more than two dozen employees, all speaking anonymously, indicate that HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette have incorporated tools such as Claude and ChatGPT into publishing processes without public disclosure or author consent. The reported uses include publicity and back-cover copy, emails to literary agents, cover art, and marketing materials.

At HarperCollins, executives bought Claude licenses and assigned employees as “AI Champions” to identify applications. Workers said legal, ethical, and environmental concerns were dismissed at one meeting, and that the company also purchased ChatGPT and Jasper licenses. Employees and industry professionals particularly criticized using AI for promotional copy, while Meg Reid of Hub City Press said the shift appears inevitable among large publishers seeking efficiency.