Barnes & Noble denies AI involvement: ‘Direct refusal’

(SeaPRwire) –   James Daunt, the CEO of Barnes & Noble, is seeking to clarify his position regarding books generated by artificial intelligence.

During an interview with NBC News earlier this week, Daunt stated that he would not implement an outright ban on selling AI-authored books. Since taking charge of the bookseller in 2019, Daunt has successfully reversed declining sales by adopting a localized, small-business approach, allowing individual stores to tailor their layouts to match local customer preferences.

“I don’t mind selling any book, provided it doesn’t misrepresent itself, possesses genuine quality, and is sought after by readers,” Daunt explained to Jenna Bush Hager on Today. “If an AI-written book is transparently labeled as such, does not plagiarize, and has customer demand, we will carry it.”

His refusal to completely condemn AI-authored literature sparked immediate backlash on social media, with some users calling for a boycott of the retailer until its AI policy is revised. This public outcry reflects a broader societal resistance to AI, as seen in instances like university graduates booing commencement speakers who discuss the technology.

However, Daunt emphasized that his remarks should not be interpreted as support for AI-written manuscripts. In an email clarification to , he noted that Barnes & Noble actively works to prevent the sale of books created by large language models, even without a formal ban on AI content.

Daunt argued that banning specific categories of books could lead to a slippery slope regarding who decides what content to restrict. He added that because reputable publishers are unlikely to release AI-generated books, Barnes & Noble is highly unlikely to stock them anyway.

“To our knowledge, we do not sell AI-generated books; we actively filter them out of our online store, avoid ordering them for physical locations, and require publishers to clearly label any AI-created works,” Daunt told . “This represents a clear rejection of AI books.”

The publishing sector has increasingly struggled with the rise of AI-generated material. In March, Hachette Book Group canceled the UK release of the horror novel Shy Girl due to concerns over AI involvement. More recently, the short story “The Serpent in the Grove,” a Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner, faced similar allegations of being AI-generated, which its publisher, Granta, is currently investigating.

Who should regulate AI-generated literature?

Daunt’s reluctance to ban AI books stems less from his views on the technology and more from a desire to avoid the complex issue of book censorship. He argued that enforcing a ban would require setting arbitrary standards—such as determining whether a book must be 100% or just 50% AI-generated to be restricted. In his view, publishers, not booksellers, should be responsible for identifying AI content. Furthermore, he noted that future demand might arise for AI-generated technical materials, like coding guides, making a rigid policy impractical for Barnes & Noble.

“Resolving this would require an extensive conference, which reinforces our belief that our current approach is simply common sense,” Daunt remarked.

While Daunt seeks to keep Barnes & Noble out of the censorship debate, the question of who should regulate AI content extends far beyond retail. David Inserra, a fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, argued in a 2024 paper that regulating AI threatens free expression by restricting tools that could enhance human progress.

“While highly sensitive AI applications—like autonomous military systems—require extreme caution, a risk-based framework suggests that most applications,” Inserra wrote, “particularly those involving speech, should be presumed harmless until proven otherwise.”

Conversely, a 2023 report by the nonprofit Freedom House claims that AI is being leveraged to restrict online information and spread disinformation. To protect free speech, the organization recommends the development of robust AI detection tools.

“AI has the potential to accelerate censorship, surveillance, and the dissemination of false information,” stated Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. “These technological advancements are worsening the crisis for digital human rights.”