Current:Home > BackA sci-fi magazine has cut off submissions after a flood of AI-generated stories-InfoLens
A sci-fi magazine has cut off submissions after a flood of AI-generated stories
View Date:2024-12-23 14:44:41
The science fiction and fantasy magazine Clarkesworld has been forced to stop accepting any new submissions from writers after it was bombarded with what it says were AI-generated stories.
The magazine officially shut off submissions on February 20 after a surge in stories that publisher and editor-in-chief Neil Clarke says were clearly machine-written.
"By the time we closed on the 20th, around noon, we had received 700 legitimate submissions and 500 machine-written ones," he said.
"It was increasing at such a rate that we figured that by the end of the month, we would have double the number of submissions we normally have. And that the rate it had been growing from previous months, we were concerned that we had to do something to stop it."
Clarke said the magazine wasn't revealing the method it was using to identify the AI-generated stories, because it didn't want to help people game the system, but he said the quality of the writing was very poor.
Artificial intelligence has dominated headlines in recent months, particularly since the launch of ChatGPT in November. The chatbot can answer a broad range of questions, but also create original poems and stories.
Microsoft and Google have since announced their own chatbots, in what is shaping up as an arms race to be the industry leader. And everyone from tech experts worried about misuse to university professors seeing its potential have sought to adapt.
Clarke said magazines like his, which pay contributors for their work, were being targeted by people trying to make a quick buck. He said he had spoken to editors of other magazines that were dealing with the same problem.
"There's a rise of side hustle culture online," he said. "And some people have followings that say, 'Hey, you can make some quick money with ChatGPT, and here's how, and here's a list of magazines you could submit to.' And unfortunately, we're on one of those lists."
Clarke said the magazine didn't yet have an answer to how it was going to deal with the issue, and part of the motivation to speak out was in the hope of crowdsourcing some solutions.
And no, the irony of his sci-fi magazine being targeted by robots is not lost on him.
"I mean, our mascot's a robot. So, you know, we kind of see the the humor," he said. "But the thing is that science fiction is quite often cautionary, and, you know, we don't embrace technology just because it exists. We want to make sure that we're using it right.
"And there's some significant legal and ethical issues around this technology that we're not ready to accept."
veryGood! (96)
Related
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Dominican Republic has partially reopened its border with Haiti. But a diplomatic crisis persists
- Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals She and Will Smith Had Been Separated for 6 Years Before 2022 Oscars
- Jill Biden is recognizing 15 young women from around the US for work to improve their communities
- Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
- How Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith Responded to Breakup Rumors Years Before Separation
- Reba McEntire Shares Rare Insight Into Relationship With Boyfriend Rex Linn
- Book excerpt: Sly Stone's memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
- Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
- El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members
Ranking
- Lions QB Jared Goff, despite 5 interceptions, dared to become cold-blooded
- Mary Lou Retton's Daughter Shares Health Update Amid Olympian's Battle With Rare Form of Pneumonia
- Who is Mary Lou Retton? Everything to know about the American gymnastics icon
- Families in Israel and abroad wait in agony for word of their loved ones taken hostage by militants
- Police cruiser strikes and kills a bicyclist pulling a trailer in Vermont
- Keith Urban shares the secret to a great song ahead of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony
- Woman faces charges after 58-year-old man dies in her care at Michigan nursing home
- Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton remains in intensive care as donations pour in
Recommendation
-
Incredible animal moments: Watch farmer miraculously revive ailing chick, doctor saves shelter dogs
-
Democratic challenger raises more campaign cash than GOP incumbent in Mississippi governor’s race
-
Liberian President George Weah seeks a second term in a rematch with his main challenger from 2017
-
AP PHOTOS: Protests by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators span the world as war escalates
-
New Yorkers vent their feelings over the election and the Knicks via subway tunnel sticky notes
-
Powerball jackpot at $1.73 billion after no big winner Monday. What to know about historic streak
-
Oklahoma Supreme Court chief justice recommends removing judge for texting during a murder trial
-
Gunmen kill a member of an anti-India group and a worshipper at a mosque in eastern Pakistan