EL PAÍS in English | Is it legitimate to use AI to write a book? by Ana Vidal Egea AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information. The article examines the growing controversy over the use of artificial‑intelligence tools in literary creation, focusing on the 2025 “Shy Girl” scandal in which a self‑published horror novel was found to be 70 % generated by AI and subsequently withdrawn by Hachette after public outcry; it highlights how publishers, authors and readers are split between viewing AI as a legitimate research aid and condemning it as a threat to originality, especially given the difficulty of reliably detecting machine‑written text and the risk of false accusations against non‑native writers. Canadian author Stephen Marche, who authored a novel with AI assistance and sees the technology as a “camera for a photographer,” notes that the literary world now resists AI‑co‑authored works, while others argue that transparency—such as labeling AI‑generated content under the 2025 European AI Regulation—is essential. The debate extends beyond books to theater, with the AI‑assisted play “Molière Ex Machina” staged by Sorbonne University, illustrating both the potential of AI as a co‑creator and the uncertainty about how much human input is required. Overall, the piece underscores the tension between embracing AI’s creative possibilities and preserving authentic, human‑driven storytelling. Read more: https://english.elpais.com/technology/2026-06-27/is-it-legitimate-to-use-ai-to-write-a-book.html #MiaBallard #StephenMarche #Hachette #Amazon #AI #JudithFeher_Gurewich