A Japanese author disclosed she used generative AI to write an award-winning novel, demonstrating the technology’s growing impact on culture. Rie Kudan, 33, announced at the Akutagawa Prize ceremony this week that about 5% of her book Tokyo-to Dojo-to (“Sympathy Tower Tokyo”) included verbatim sentences generated by ChatGPT.
Last year, a Chinese professor also used AI to write a science fiction novel in just three hours, and went on to win a national competition. Kudan said she turned to AI to help her find “soft and fuzzy words” that embodied the muddled themes about justice present throughout her book, which the prize committee called “flawless.”
“I want to use the words with care, and to think about the positive and negative aspects of language,” Kudan said. The judges determined her book was a “highly entertaining and interesting work that prompts debate about how to consider it.” The use of generative artificial intelligence has become hotly debated among creative professionals, many of whom fear rapid adoption of the technology could pose a threat to their livelihoods.
