Authors Protest as AI-Generated Books Take Over Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited Best-Sellers List
The benefits of artificial intelligence are undeniable, but the drawbacks should not be overlooked. A song called “Heart on My Sleeve” caused a significant controversy when it was discovered to be created by AI, leading major streaming platforms to remove it. Likewise, a new cryptocurrency scam emerged on social media, utilizing AI-generated images of Bear Grylls and Ian Wright to spread false information. Now, an independent author claims that the negative aspects of AI are spreading within Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited.
Caitlyn Lynch, an indie author, recently tweeted about the issue of AI-generated books dominating Kindle Unlimited. He said: “Amazon has been broken by artificial intelligence bots. Check out the Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance ebook bestseller list of the top 100. I see 19 real books. The rest are AI nonsense that clearly needs to be clicked on the farm.”
Kindle Unlimited is flooded with AI-generated books
Kindle Unlimited is Amazon’s monthly subscription program that gives members access to more than 4 million digital books, as well as thousands of audiobooks, comics, and magazines. It’s a convenient way for Kindle owners to read a wide variety of books without paying for each one separately.
The subscription also gives authors the opportunity to showcase their books, self-publishing through Amazon’s Kindle Direct program. Signing up is easy, and you don’t have to go through the procedures of a major publisher to get your book to readers. Many self-published authors today have developed their own fan base using the Kindle Unlimited platform.
However, due to the easy process, it has also become a hotspot for bad actors who have flooded the space with a large number of AI-generated books. The books are of low quality and largely nonsensical, but they still get exposure because of the catchy titles or just the sheer number of them. But there is another reason why they are so high. And the answer to this question also explains why scammers do this.
In a separate tweet, Lynch explained: “They point bots to a book to read it on Kindle Unlimited… the fee is $0.004 per page read, which means a 400-page book costs $1.60. Several thousand bots vs. several thousand books = $ $$$$ pretty fast. That’s why these are so high.”
What is Amazon doing about it?
According to a TechRadar report, Motherboard reached out to Amazon, and a spokesperson said, “We are investing heavily to provide a reliable shopping experience and protect customers and authors from abuse.”
The statement did not mention what measures were taken to prevent the infiltration of AI books. However, it should be noted that just hours after Lynch complained about AI books making the top 100, the questionable books were removed and the current list appears to consist of only real authors. However, AI books can still be found on the platform.
