Prolific author Anthony Horowitz<\/a>, whose career spans decades <\/a>and includes the beloved Alex Rider series and adult novels like Magpie Murders, has revealed he uses ChatGPT<\/a> “all the time” in his writing process, a practice he admits makes him feel “nervous”.<\/p>\n The 71-year-old writer,<\/a> currently plotting the next instalment of his popular Hawthorne and Horowitz series,<\/a> confessed to a sense of unease about his reliance on artificial intelligence<\/a>. <\/p>\n “I feel nervous about it, because, is it cheating? I feel a bit like it\u2019s cheating in a school exam,” he stated. He recounted an instance where he asked ChatGPT for an adjective to describe a potato’s shape, receiving the word ‘ellipsoid’. This, he noted, highlighted the limitations of AI. “This is when you drop the artificial intelligence and use your own intelligence \u2013 readers hearing that the potato on her plate was \u2018ellipsoid\u2019 are going to say, \u2018What the hell is this guy talking about?'”<\/p>\n Horowitz, known for his meticulous research, which saw him read three to four books for every episode of his ITV drama Foyle\u2019s War, acknowledges the convenience of AI for immediate knowledge. However, he stresses the importance of human discernment. “It\u2019s useful to have immediate knowledge, but not unrestrained. You\u2019ve always got to judge what you\u2019re being told, and also look for a second source.” He contrasts this with his earlier methods: “In the old days, I\u2019d go to a library, I\u2019d look up stuff in books. What\u2019s the difference between using AI and going straight to the point?”<\/p>\n Beyond his AI experiments, Horowitz’s extensive bibliography includes three James Bond novels, two Sherlock Holmes reimaginings, and contributions to television hits like Midsomer Murders. He is currently promoting A Deadly Episode, the sixth book in his Hawthorne and Horowitz series, which delves into a meta-narrative where the detective and author investigate a murder on a film set adapting their first book.<\/p>\n Reflecting on the enduring appeal of murder mysteries, a genre that dominates much of his work, Horowitz suggests it stems from a fundamental human need. “I put it down to a sense of people needing absolute truth,” he muses. <\/p>\n In an era saturated with “news and fake news and social media and all the conspiracy theories,” he believes crime novels offer a unique solace. “A crime novel, at least, dots the i\u2019s, crosses the t\u2019s and provides you with absolute truth. The killer was this person. These are the clues you should have spotted. This is the reason that he or she did it, and they will be punished.” He adds that the genre also satisfies a craving for justice and closure, providing a sense of a “community that is healed.”<\/p>\n Despite these weighty themes, Horowitz ensures his books are not without humour, admitting he often makes himself laugh while writing. While he dislikes the term “comedy crime capers,” he notes that the Hawthorne and Horowitz series has developed a “lighter side,” perhaps as a counterpoint to the “grim and dark times” we inhabit.<\/p>\n In response to this contemporary angst, Horowitz, who was made a CBE for services to literature in 2022, has adopted new personal practices. He has embraced reading poetry, finding it “endlessly encouraging and life-enhancing,” and now starts his day with a poem instead of the news. <\/p>\n He also made the decision to quit social media, leaving X (formerly Twitter) two years ago. “I am free of all social media and feel so much healthier and better for it \u2013 the change is really quite dramatic,” he states, having found himself “disappearing into it” and encountering “noticeably more toxic” content.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01KQVPEGF09D7K8HHWQY9R1ZSX.jpg\")
(Victoria Jones\/PA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01KQVPEFQ7DT2RTMBY76HZ9D6H.jpg\")
(Alamy\/PA)<\/p>\n
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‘A Deadly Episode’ by Anthony Horowitz (Century\/PA)<\/p>\n