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John Scalzi is a science-fiction novelist and essayist. He writes the Whatever blog and previously served as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. His work includes the Old Man's War series and The Kaiju Preservation Society.
Role at the time: Novelist and technology commentator
Condemned
Statement summary
Scalzi criticizes AI-generated book publicity, saying he would be annoyed if his own publicity used it. He argues that generated promotional emails are easy to recognize and dismiss. These are his judgments, not measured effects on sales.
“Publishers are not doing their new books any favors in using it.”
Simon & Schuster defends approved AI tools for internal work. Literary agents want disclosure or a ban, while Kathleen Schmidt distinguishes writing publicity from administrative assistance.
