From Scroll · Saikat Majumdar · · 1m 50s
The Algorithm’s Autograph: Can AI Become an Author?
AI mimics authorship but can’t replicate the invisible omnipresence of a true writer.
In brief
AI mimics authorship but can’t replicate the invisible omnipresence of a true writer. AI-generated writing lacks the invisible omnipresence of a true author, making it a poor copy of human literature. Originally reported by Scroll.
Plato’s Warning on Writing
Plato warned writing causes forgetfulness by outsourcing memory to external technology.
“writing will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory”
Socrates’ Skepticism on Writing
Socrates feared writing would create false wisdom through unguided reading without instruction.
“you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom, for they will read many things without instruction”
Derrida’s Logocentrism
Derrida argued Western philosophy prioritizes speech over writing, claiming texts promise an author’s presence.
“all texts with linguistic content promise the presence of an author by conflating author with speaker”
The Divine Author Tradition
Some traditions view the author as divine, making their presence invisible yet omnipresent in the text.
“the author is divine and hence can never be present”
Stephen Dedalus’ Vision
Stephen Dedalus in Joyce’s work seeks an author who is omnipresent but invisible.
“the author be like God in relation to their creation, present everywhere but visible nowhere”
AI’s Authorial Challenge
AI lacks an authorial persona but simulates writing through patterns from training data.
“AI involves no authorial persona at all, being a simulation of the author-effect sustained by the multitudinous potentials of training data”
AI-Generated Writing Risks
AI writing risks discrediting authors through visible stylistic signatures that AI can mimic.
“enough awards have now been shamed for conferring glory to writing subsequently revealed as AI-generated”
AI and Literary Styles
AI can mimic styles of Joyce’s works but struggles with the deeper ethos of Dubliners.
“the chatbot gave me a kitchen smelling of cabbage and grease”
The Immanent Author
Great literature contains an invisible, omnipresent author through immanent meaning.
“the immanent is both omnipresent and invisible”
AI’s Limitations
AI cannot replicate the immanent author, which requires human readers to engage with the text.
“literature remains beyond the emulation of LLMs”
The Real Danger
The real danger is losing the ability to detect immanent authorship through over-reliance on AI patterns.
“the fact that we seem to be already on that sad path is not the fault of AI”
Hybridity in Literature
Hybrid literary sensibilities create invisible, omnipresent meanings without explicit markers.
“their peculiar meaning operates in the fact that they are the products of hybrid sensibilities and histories”
The Reader’s Role
The reader’s engagement with literature creates the invisible author through interpretation.
“literature is not a noun but a verb, a singular event, an encounter between text and reader”
AI’s Misstep
AI-generated works risk misrepresenting literature by focusing on visible stylistic markers.
“AI-generated works, or works significantly AI-shaped and inspired, getting celebrated through hyped publication and literary awards”
The Future of Authorship
True authorship remains invisible and omnipresent, requiring human readers to detect it.
“the truly omnipresent and invisible author is still delightfully muddling to the chatbot”
The key point
AI-generated writing lacks the invisible omnipresence of a true author, making it a poor copy of human literature.
