Published: 09 September 2023

Updated: 09 September 2023 at 16:12

Two days ago, on the 7th of September, 2023, Amazon KDP updated its guidelines to include AI-generated content. I wanted to wait a while before sharing this because I often find people jump the gun and overreact without reading the fineprint. This amendment requires publishers and independent authors who distribute books via their platform to declare whether the books have content created with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Inside the dashboard for each book, users found a yes or no radio button in which they could declare their usage.

 

 Please see the image below as an example from my dashboard.

Not Just AI-Generated Text

Please note the word usage in the question above the radio buttons: “Did you use AI tools in creating texts, images, and/or translations in your book?” So, the AI usage is not limited to writing the content of the book but also images both inside and on the cover. But Amazon also draws a distinction between AI-generated and AI-assisted content. These definitions can be found by hovering over the information text above and clicking to read the KDP Guidelines. Below is a screenshot of the definitions supplied by KDP.

AI-Assisted vs. AI-Generated Content

According to the definitions listed above, if you write the book yourself and then go on to use tools like Pro Writing Aid, Grammarly, or SudoWrite to edit your work, then you do not have to declare it. The point of the definitions was to distinguish between who actually created the copyrighted content.

 

So, if a tool like ChatGPT wrote your book based on the prompts, then this is considered AI-generated even if you go on to make rewrites. In this instance, you have to declare it by selecting the yes button. 

 

Using AI-Generated Content

So, what if you did use AI-generated content in your book? Does this mean you can’t publish on Amazon? Of course not; you simply need to state which tools you used.

 

If you’ve used and AI to write the work, select the yes radio button in response to the AI question. After this, you will be prompted to declare what you used and how much of your content was written with these tools. See the images below.

As a result, your book on the Amazon store will look something like this.

 

Obviously, the novel below is not mine, nor is it a secret pen name. I have none of those, by the way. It’s just an example because I do not have any books where I have used AI to write the content. 

Concluding Thoughts

While these changes to the KDP Guidelines may have angered some, I still believe this is a step in the right direction. In light of the WAG and SAG strikes, it’s a good thing that Amazon is distinguishing between AI-generated content and those books that are not. Because readers do have a right to know how much AI is used in the creation of a book. As a writer, I don’t mind disclosing these details because a little bit of transparency is always a good thing.

 

Also, let’s address the elephant in the room. Like many others, I, too, have been increasingly concerned about the potential for AI-generated content flooding the market. I realise this is fear-talking, but at least this disclosure is somewhat comforting that Amazon is at least interested in knowing about how much AI-content is on their site.