The Dearth of the Author in AI-Supported Writing

TL;DR

Problem: AI-based CSTs enable large text generation from small prompts, creating a mismatch between human expressive intent and output. Approach: conceptual analysis anchored in the ExpressiveCommunication framework to define the 'dearth of the author' and connect it to observed practices and anxieties around AI-assisted writing. Findings: the dearth explains homogenization, ownership concerns, and rhetorical confusion, and highlights differential impacts on novice versus experienced writers, as well as the role of underdetermination in creative engagement. Significance: designing CSTs to elicit intent and foster reflective creativity could foster an 'abundance of the author,' yielding more expressive, accountable, and ethically aligned AI-supported writing.

Abstract

We diagnose and briefly discuss the dearth of the author: a condition that arises when AI-based creativity support tools for writing allow users to produce large amounts of text without making a commensurate number of creative decisions, resulting in output that is sparse in expressive intent. We argue that the dearth of the author helps to explain a number of recurring difficulties and anxieties around AI-based writing support tools, but that it also suggests an ambitious new goal for AI-based CSTs.