Wired: 3 of Big Five Publishers Use AI Without Telling Authors

Three of the big five publishers are allegedly using AI tools including ChatGPT and Claude to produce publicity material and cover copy, as well as image generators to create cover art, according to a Wired report based on anonymous sources. The report says the practices are happening without notifying authors or the public.

Wired interviewed more than two dozen anonymous publishing industry employees for the story. The accounts describe AI use across promotional and packaging work rather than the editorial process itself, though the sources say authors are not informed.

One agent told Wired they have started requiring publishers to agree in advance not to run entire unpublished manuscripts through LLMs to generate promotional text. The report was covered by Deadline.

Earlier disputes over AI in publishing

The allegations arrive after a series of AI-related disputes in the book business. In May, the big five publishers jointly filed a lawsuit against Meta alleging copyright infringement. Earlier this year, Macmillan imprint Minotaur Books scrapped a deal estimated at $2 million for the manuscript Call Me, I'll Hide the Body after a 14-party bidding war, over questions about whether it was AI-generated.

Broader reading data cited in the article adds context: from 2003 to 2023, reading for pleasure declined about 3% per year according to a study on self-reported habits, and 44% of American men did not read a book in 2025. Used booksellers have said they believe AI companies are buying up their inventory to destroy books, often rare ones. The Association of American Publishers reports revenue growth of 16.1% from 2021 through the present.