Literary Hub Columnist Critiques AI’s Role in Publishing

The Reader Times desk 22 October 2026 Based on Literary Hub reporting

Editorial illustration of a library office where books and artificial intelligence research meet. — Editorial illustration for The Reader Times.

Kristen Arnett, host of Literary Hub’s “Am I the Literary Asshole?” column, argues that AI-generated content is “slop” and warns publishers against overreliance on the technology.

In a recent installment of the advice column, Arnett addressed readers’ concerns about the quality of new books and the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the publishing workflow. She described AI output as “generating slop” and “fully awful,” contrasting it with the “beautiful writing” she still sees in the market.

Arnett also defended the continued importance of books, noting that they “keep us rooted in the world” and help people “want to try” and “push and attempt change.” She urged readers to maintain an open, non‑binary view of the industry, reminding them that not every book is poorly edited or chasing trends.

In a second part of the column, Arnett offered practical advice to writers whose friends’ works pile up unread. She suggested setting aside a dedicated day each week or every other week to tackle the “elephant” of unread material, emphasizing that readers cannot realistically keep up with every new release.