Literary agent Emma Dries says a ban on AI tools "would frankly be my preference"
Emma DriesAgent at Triangle House Literary, speaking to WIRED
Emma Dries, an agent at Triangle House Literary, told WIRED that a ban on AI tools would frankly be her preference and that, short of a ban, everybody should be communicating more.
“Short of these tools being banned, which would frankly be my preference ... everybody should be communicating more.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should book publishers use AI tools in their internal workflows?
WIRED's October 9, 2026 report documents disagreement over publishers' internal AI use. Simon & Schuster's Wibke Grutjen defends optional, approved tools. Literary agent Emma Dries prefers a ban, or clearer disclosure. Publicist Kathleen Schmidt accepts administrative assistance but rejects AI-written publicity pitches.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Original interviews about publishers' operational AI use.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
WIRED reported that most of the industry professionals it spoke with want publishers to provide clear AI usage guidelines and disclosures at the very least, and quoted Dries as saying that she needs publishers to be clear about what is being used and when.
After the quotation
This remark does not say which uses of AI Dries would ban.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether book publishers should use AI tools in their internal workflows. Dries says she would prefer the tools be banned and, short of that, wants publishers to communicate more, which sets out an ordered preference with a conditional fallback, so we labeled it Mixed or conditional. The closest competing label is Condemned, because a ban is her stated preference; she also says what should happen without one, so it loses.
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More from this case
Read the full caseKathleen Schmidt says it is "short-sighted" to use AI for publicity copy and pitches
“I agree it is short-sighted to use them for publicity copy and pitches, because if that becomes the norm, all pitches and publicity copy will start sounding the same.”Read statement
Simon & Schuster, through Wibke Grutjen, says its AI tools aim to "free up more time for our employees"
Simon & Schuster
“the goal is always to free up more time for our employees to spend on deeper focus and creative work on behalf of and alongside our authors.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Literary agent Emma Dries says a ban on AI tools "would frankly be my preference"
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5463-emma-dries-an-agent-at-triangle-house-literary
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Literary agent Emma Dries says a ban on AI tools "would frankly be my preference"". First published: 2026-10-11. Last updated: 2026-10-11. https://disputeindex.com/events/5463-emma-dries-an-agent-at-triangle-house-literary