It's Andy Fish!

I recently got into an online discussion about AI– here’s how the conversation started from the OG author (edited for space here);

“A female writer friend of mind recently created the PERFECT cover for her book. It was cute, told the story and most importantly of all, it clearly signalled the genre to the reader.

But she couldn’t use it. Not for copyright issues, not because it would breach any retailer’s terms… She couldn’t post it because she was scared of her fellow authors.

The image was created with AI. Of course it was, how else in late 2025 are you going to get the absolutely perfect image for one particular story? 

Unlike me, she writes in romance, a genre I love, full of people I admire, but one that’s also known for its online drama. A small but aggressive contingent has made pile-ons and blacklisting almost routine.

A small group of romance writers, possibly in conjunction with some readers, but I haven’t seen much evidence this comes from readers, have formed themselves into a secret police outfit. They scour Amazon for what they see as the tell-tale signs of AI in any aspect of a book and then they mobilise their army to destroy it, and the author.

Why? Good question. 

Maybe they’re still bitter about the car’s devastating impact on the horse and cart industry? That is, after all what’s going on here. And it happens, predictably every time there is a transformational technological development. Most of us embrace it whole heartedly, adapt our working processes, even if that threatens our old way of life, and make the most of the change.

But for some, there is a false belief that new transformative technology can be suppressed. That the genie can be put back in the bottle and that it’s the right thing to do, so that we continue to work in the way we always used to. In this case, ‘protecting’ the jobs of cover designers.”

And my response:

Absolutely not. Where do you think the images come from? It’s not the creative genius of a computer, it’s the outright thievery of thousands of artists whose work is on the web, tweaked and borrowed and STOLEN. Stealing is OK as long as they aren’t stealing from you– that’s the tone of this article. Maybe when AI pilfers one of your novels you’ll start to feel a bit differently but anyone who uses AI to generate their cover deserves to be outed and shamed.

Yes I am aware I occasionally use AI here as part of WordPress’s Image Option– I’m always quick to point out that it is AI and the images are put up more to ridicule than to admire.

AI is likely to continue to get better and better, but keep this in mind; when you use it to generate your story idea, your image, whatever creative project it is that belongs to you– you are now that idea into a barrel which is spun and spun and shared with millions of others, just asking for your work to be stolen.

Think about it.