Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer
Artificial intelligence is in nearly every industry, and writing is no exception. For many writers, this shift has been unsettling. Some have already seen a decline in work, and many more anticipate that opportunities will continue to disappear.
This information is based on a study conducted by Gotham Ghostwriters and Josh Bernoff of 1,190 writing professionals and 291 fiction authors.
On the flip side, AI can be helpful to writers for things such as search, titles, outlines, and idea generation. The problem is that it’s being used as a replacement for human writing to create books.
And that’s where the real problem begins.
The Hidden Problems with AI-Generated Content
At first glance, AI-generated writing may seem good, even impressive. But beneath the surface, there are serious issues that writers, publishers, and especially children’s authors shouldn’t ignore.
1. AI Hallucinates
AI gathers information from cyberspace, including vast amounts of unverified and private data. One of its most well-known flaws is ‘hallucination.’ It produces information that is inaccurate, misleading, or entirely fabricated.
If AI can’t find reliable information, it may simply invent it.
Far worse than that, once this incorrect information enters cyberspace, it can linger, be picked up by other prompts and queries, and be used as valid information.
That can be a dangerous feedback loop.
2. Nothing AI Produces Is Truly Original
AI does not create in the human sense. It trains on existing content: books, articles, blogs, and websites written by real people.
When you give AI a prompt such as “Write a story about a ballerina reaching her goal,” it doesn’t imagine a new story. It assembles patterns from what others have already written.
It doesn’t go beyond what already exists, and writers have no way of knowing whose work has been gathered and reshaped to generate the content requested.
This lack of transparency should give any author pause, especially if planning to publish.
3. AI Is Limited to What Has Come Before
AI is a machine. While it can generate text and images, its output is fixed within the boundaries of its training data. It does not invent or discover.
4. Plagiarism: AI May Inadvertently Use Copyrighted Material
Because AI models are trained on vast amounts of data, plagiarism becomes a concern. There is a high risk that the content for the story might inadvertently contain copyright material. This could lead to infringement claims.
5. AI Content Cannot be Copyrighted
As mentioned in number 2, nothing AI creates is original. Because of the lack of originality and possible plagiarism, the U.S. Copyright Office does not allow books generated entirely by AI to be copyrighted.
However, if you've contributed to the book, or significantly rewritten portions of it, you may be able to copyright the portions you created by registering them with the relevant copyright authority.
WHAT AI LACKS MATTERS WHEN WRITING CHILDREN'S FICTION
Perhaps the most significant weaknesses of AI become most obvious in children’s literature.
Imagination Is Missing
Albert Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Writing for young readers is about sparking their imaginations. They want to be taken on an adventure, explore new worlds...
If imagination is lacking or mechanical, young readers won’t get to where they want to be (to where they should be)—lost in the story.
Thinking Outside the Box Is Missing
AI follows patterns, but children’s stories thrive when those patterns are bent, stretched, or broken in surprising ways.
Quirky characters, unexpected solutions, and playful language are often what make a story memorable. Those elements rarely emerge from machine-generated text without heavy human intervention.
Compassion and Empathy Are Simulated—Not Felt
AI does not have emotions. It does not feel compassion, empathy, fear, joy, or hope.
Yes, it can simulate these qualities because it has been trained on human writing that expresses them. But simulation is not the same as understanding.
Is that enough, though?
That’s a question every children's author must seriously consider.
Confidentiality Is Missing
This is a major concern for ghostwriters. Anything entered into an online AI tool may be used for training unless strict safeguards are in place. This includes writing for hire agreements. Even then, nothing is guaranteed.
For professional writers, that’s not a small issue; it’s a deal breaker.
SUMMING IT UP
As a children’s ghostwriter, nearly every client I work with wants to pass on a meaningful lesson to a child. AI can assist in small, controlled ways. It may help with brainstorming or refining a scene. But relying on it to generate an entire children’s story is risky.
There are too many concerns: hallucinations, ethical issues, security, and more.
If you’ve created a children’s story using AI and plan to publish it, I strongly recommend having it professionally reviewed first. AI alone is almost never good enough.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You can check out Karen’s books HERE.
Connect with Karen on SOCIAL MEDIA.
