Author Caught Using AI In Book Blunder, Readers Call It 'Embarrassing'

Fantasy author Lena McDonald is facing widespread backlash after readers discovered she was using artificial intelligence (AI) for her book. The readers spotted an AI-generated prompt accidentally left in the published version of the book, leading to shouts of unethical and careless behaviour.

The novel titled Darkhollow Academy: Year 2, published under the romance genre called "reverse harem", carried a glaring blunder that was quickly discovered by the eagle-eyed fans. In the third chapter of the book, Ms McDonald seemingly attempted to copy the style of a fellow writer.

"I've rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree's style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements," read the AI prompt.

Notably, J Bree is the author of an internationally bestselling series of romance and fantasy novels, and Ms McDonald tried to emulate her style.

Social media users react

While the book has since been quietly updated and the passage removed on Amazon, screenshots of the gaffe continue circulating on social media platforms, where fans have dubbed the incident "so embarrassing".

"That's an instant ban from me," said one user while another added: "What is the point of writing books if you aren't going to write them? Don't people enjoy writing?"

A third commented: "I don't think she's the only author that's doing it and I wish there was a way to tell. So many books lately have been changing author voice midway through."

Author Lena McDonald is blatantly using AI to mimic other popular author's writing styles
byu/fox_paw44 inReverseHarem

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AI's increased use

This is not the first instance when the use of AI in a professional setting has caused controversy. Last month, lawyers representing My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell were pulled by a federal judge for using AI to write a legal brief in a defamation lawsuit.

As per District Judge Nina Wang, the brief had 30 defective citations, including misquotes and citations to fictional cases. She ordered attorneys Christopher Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster to show cause as to why the court should not sanction the defendants, law firm, and individual attorneys.