HarperCollins' Deal with the Devil

Allie Garrett

Many of us are aware of generative artificial intelligence and the threat it poses to artists. We all fear the day that "AI generated work is accepted" is written into the submission guidelines of popular, respected publishing companies. A few weeks ago I would have argued that this wasn't even a possibility, that writers were safe because these respected entities would never sully their names by interacting with AI beyond allowing it to correct their spelling.

My faith in traditional publishing was staggered when I learned about a contract that HarperCollins, the second largest name in publishing worldwide, signed last year. Collins signed a three-year contract with Microsoft to feed them nonfiction manuscripts to train their new AI model.

The deal is opt-in only, so authors have to agree to allow the use of their manuscripts to train the AI model, and Microsoft is offering compensation. Collins claims that they accepted this deal was to protect authors from having their content scalped by AI without the author's authorization, but that doesn't seem to be the whole story. For one, the compensation is insulting when considering the time and effort that is required for writing a book, especially a nonfiction manuscript that requires extensive fact-checking. Microsoft is offering $5,000 per book, but this sum is split between Collins and the author, leaving each party with only $2,500. This demonstrates how little both Collins and Microsoft value the work of their authors, and how willing they are to trade that effort for a sum this size. This contract leaves the unsavory feeling of a parent offering their child a nickel and a pat on the head for cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, and skimming the pool.

I understand that Collins is a company, and the goal of a company is to make a profit. I just can't shake the feeling that $2,500 per book wouldn't be worth the trouble for them. From what I've read, few authors have actually opted into this deal. In fact, the little hope that I've gotten through my research for this post is how vehemently opposed most authors are to this deal. It breaks down to the simple fact that not only is Collins willing to profit directly from generative AI, but that they're willing to sacrifice their integrity as a respected publisher to do so.

I can only speculate what this means for the future of publishing through Collins. I imagine that they might begin to generate their own books using AI, just so they don't have to pay the author and a team of editors. Why pay someone to write a summary when you can plug the manuscript into a computer and have a machine do it for you?

This opt-in deal is not only harmful to the authors who are being exploited, but I can only assume that Collins will see some major backlash very soon. While many indie publishers have taken similar deals, Collins is the first (and, as of now, the only) one of the Big Five publishing companies to implement something of this nature. Other members of the Big Five, including Penguin Random House and Hachette Book Group, are staunchly against artificial intelligence for creative uses.

Some of these publishers haven't made statements about their stance on generative AI, but I'm sure we will hear from them after seeing how Collins' deal with Microsoft works out. Just remember, whether you're a writer, reader, educator, or whatever your relationship might be with literature, remember that we have something that AI doesn't. It may have databases of every trope and every archetype and every plot that's been published, but it doesn't have life experience to drive it to make art. Humans create because we want to; AI generates because it's told to.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96533-agents-authors-question-harpercollins-ai-deal.html

https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/articles/penguins-approach-to-generative-artificial-intelligence

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/david-shelley-on-leading-hachette-navigating-ai-and-why-physical-books-still-matter-b58b915f1b59