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Stef Reed is the director of Flat River Community Library in Greenville. Credit: Montcalm Area Reading Council<\/p>\nLANSING \u2013 Some local libraries in the state are taking measures to prevent AI-generated books from making it into their collections.<\/p>\n
Books generated by artificial intelligence can take many forms, from children\u2019s picture books with sloppy illustrations and nonsensical text to nonfiction books with completely false information, said Stef Reed, the director of Flat River Community Library in Greenville.<\/p>\n
When librarians look to acquire new books, they usually rely on vetted resources where they can review feedback and reviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some \u201cred flags\u201d they look out for include books with no credible reviews or an author who\u2019s publishing a suspiciously high number of books in a short period, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can\u2019t find credible reviews for, say, a picture book or other children\u2019s materials like that, then we aren\u2019t going to buy it in the first place,\u201d Reed said.<\/p>\n
Stef Reed is the director of Flat River Community Library in Greenville. Credit: Montcalm Area Reading Council<\/p>\n
As for content, librarians can pick up on indicators that a book is AI-generated, as subtle as the way the text appears on the page, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has a sort of inhuman feel to it,\u201d Reed said. \u201cIt\u2019s making an attempt to sound more humanistic but actually ends up sounding more robotic when you\u2019re viewing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are a number of ethical arguments against AI-generated books, she said.<\/p>\n
For example, critics question whether AI is plagiarizing the work of human creators, suggesting it diminishes the quality of language.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They also question the intent of people using AI to produce books \u2013 asserting they\u2019re not actually interested in creating art and are, instead, looking to make a quick profit, Reed said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt divorces us from what natural language feels like,\u201d she said. \u201cIt disguises itself as natural language but has that slightly inhuman quality that can\u2019t really be taught to AI.\u201d<\/p>\n
Librarians at the East Lansing Public Library have spotted multiple AI-generated books when looking to add to their collection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve mostly been children\u2019s books, said Chrissie Evaskis-Garrett, the interim director and former collections team leader.<\/p>\n
The stories don\u2019t make any sense, and the artwork has a particular look to it, she said.<\/p>\n
AI books are not integrated into collections for reasons beyond the ethical arguments. Their quality is poor enough that they would be passed up regardless of whether the author was a human or a machine, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of times it\u2019s incoherent, it\u2019s inaccurate and frankly, for lack of a better word, it\u2019s garbage,\u201d Evaskis-Garrett said.<\/p>\n
Librarians say that AI-generated nonfiction books often cite made-up sources and present false \u201cfacts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Evaskis-Garrett said another reason why AI books don\u2019t make the cut is that they don\u2019t serve the interests of the people going to the library.<\/p>\n
There are frameworks, policies and procedures librarians follow to stock accurate, engaging materials that community members will read, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of fail safes in place before the books get to the shelves,\u201d
she said.<\/p>\n
Flat River\u2019s Reed said it\u2019s important to keep in mind that librarians follow strict policies when selecting materials, and a book won\u2019t make it onto shelves without being carefully vetted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe librarians don\u2019t ever put anything on the shelf haphazardly without thinking through whether it\u2019s appropriate to be there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
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