In today’s roundup of literary headlines, we have an update from Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt about selling AI-generated books, a response from Lupita Nyong’o to racist criticism of her role as Helen of Troy, the end of the “Colbert Bump,” and more.
Barnes & Noble CEO Assures Customers That They Do Not Sell AI-Generated Books
Before we get into today’s round-up of literary news, an update. Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt received criticism earlier this week for saying that he has “no problem” selling AI-generated books. Now, he’s put out a statement clarifying the bookseller’s stance on selling AI-written books, saying that they do not “endorse or intentionally sell AI-generated books. We take active measures to exclude all AI-generated books from our online offerings and never knowingly order any for in-store stock.” He does add that they would sell AI-generated books if there is “clear demand,” they were labeled as AI-generated, and they were put out by “reputable publishers.” He also compared not stocking AI-generated books with book banning, which made me roll my eyes. Book banning is a real issue, and it has nothing to do with not stocking AI-generated books.
I think many companies are learning the hard way that negative perception of AI is rising, and closely associating themselves with it can drive customers away—or at least result in a lot of angry criticism online. That’s doubly true when it comes to readers, who care deeply about human creativity.
In a recent interview with Elle, Lupita Nyong’o discussed her role as Helen of Troy in the upcoming Christopher Nolan take on The Odyssey. This comes on the heels of Matt Walsh and Elon Musk criticizing the casting on X.
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I hesitate to even quote this racist ragebait, but I can’t summarize it without sounding like I’m exaggerating: Walsh posted, “Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’ But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave ‘the most beautiful woman’ role to a white woman. Nolan is technically talented but a coward. Too afraid to do anything that even slightly challenges the spirit of the age.” Elon Musk replied, “True.”
In the Elle interview, Nyong’o said, “Our cast is representative of the world. I’m not spending my time thinking of a defense. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not.” She also talked about her exploration of the role beyond just being the “face that launched a thousand ships,” saying, “You can’t perform beauty. I want to know who a character is. What is beyond beauty? What is beyond looks?”
Obviously, this racism isn’t worth engaging with… and yet I can’t help but point out that if you Google image search “most beautiful woman in the world,” the person whose face shows up the most often in the top results is Lupita Nyong’o,