Clarkesworld, a renowned science fiction and fantasy magazine, has temporarily closed its doors to new submissions after being inundated with a large number of AI-generated stories.
NPR reports that Clarkesworld magazine has been forced to halt all new submissions from writers due to a surge in what appears to be AI-generated content. Neil Clarke, the magazine’s publisher and editor-in-chief, revealed that as of February 20, he had received a staggering 700 legitimate submissions and 500 machine-written ones.
The influx of AI-generated stories had been increasing at an alarming rate, with Clarke expressing concern that by the end of the month, the magazine would have received double the number of submissions they normally receive. The situation had become so dire that the magazine felt compelled to take action to curb the flood of low-quality, machine-generated content.
While the magazine has chosen not to disclose the method they use to identify AI-generated stories to prevent individuals from gaming the system, Clarke noted that the quality of the writing in these submissions was exceptionally poor.
According to Clarke, magazines like Clarkesworld, which compensate contributors for their work, have become targets for individuals seeking to make quick money. He revealed that he had discussed the issue with editors of other magazines who were facing similar challenges.
The magazine is currently exploring solutions to address this problem and has reached out to the community in hopes of crowdsourcing ideas. Despite the irony of a science fiction magazine being targeted by robots, Clarke emphasizes that the genre often serves as a cautionary tale, encouraging the responsible use of technology while considering the legal and ethical implications.
Read more at NPR here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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