New Zealand’s top book award disqualifies two prominent authors over AI artwork
Respected authors miss out on book award over AI usage
- Two prominent New Zealand authors, Stephanie Johnson and Elizabeth Smither, have been disqualified from the country's premier literary prize.
- Their books, Obligate Carnivore and Angel Train, were removed from consideration for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction because their covers featured AI-generated imagery.
- The New Zealand Book Awards Trust introduced a new rule in August, prohibiting any AI material, including visual elements, in books submitted for the Ockham awards.
- The publisher stated the book covers were designed and submitted before this new AI rule was announced, making compliance difficult.
- Both authors expressed dismay, with Johnson highlighting her personal distrust of AI and Smither voicing concern for the designers whose work was affected.