VOA慢速：越来越多的人靠ChatGPT出书赚稿酬
刘立军 供稿
u TRANSCRIPT
A growing number of people are using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence program, to create books for sale.
Although sales have so far been slow, human writers are worried that ChatGPT-created books might hurt the writing and publishing industry.
Until recently, Brett Schickler never imagined he could be a published author.
But after learning about the ChatGPT artificial intelligence program, Schickler decided that he had a good chance.
“The idea of writing a book finally seemed possible,” said Schickler, a salesman in Rochester, New York. “I thought ‘I can do this.’“
Using the AI software, Schickler created a 30-page illustrated children’s e-book in a few hours.
He offered it for sale in January through Amazon’s self-publishing section.
The e-book, which is named The Wise Little Squirrel: A Tale of Saving and Investing, has made Schickler less than $100, he said.
While that may not sound like much, it is enough to make him want to create other books using the software.
“I could see people making a whole career out of this,” said Schickler.
There were over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store as of mid-February that say ChatGPT is a writer or co-writer.
And the number is rising daily.
But due to the nature of ChatGPT and many writers’ failure to admit that they have used it, it is nearly impossible to get a full count of how many e-books may be written by AI.
Some professional writers are becoming worried about the effects that ChatGPT could have on the book publishing industry.
Mary Rasenberger is the executive director of the Authors Guild, a writer’s group.
She said, “This is something we really need to be worried about, these books will flood the market and a lot of authors are going to be out of work.”
Rasenberger noted that the industry has a long tradition of ghostwriting ― an accepted practice of paying someone to write books or speeches under another author’s name.
But she is worried that the ability to create with AI could turn book writing from an art into a commodity ― a kind of simple raw material that is bought and sold.
“There needs to be transparency from the authors and the platforms about how these books are created or you’re going to end up with a lot of low-quality books,” she said.
When asked for comment by Reuters, Amazon did not say whether it has plans to change or look at policies around authors’ use of AI or other automated writing tools.
Amazon spokeswoman Lindsay Hamilton said via email that books in the store must meet its guidelines regarding “intellectual property rights” and other laws.
Amazon is by far the largest seller of both physical and e-books.
It has well over half of the sales in the United States and, by some estimates, over 80 percent of the e-book market.
In 2007, Amazon created Kindle Direct Publishing to enable anyone to sell and market a book without the expense of seeking out book agents or publishing houses.
Generally, Amazon lets authors publish without any oversight.
The company then splits whatever money is made with the writer.
This service has drawn new AI-assisted writers like Kamil Banc to Amazon.
He told his wife that he could make a book in less than one day.
Using ChatGPT, an AI image creator and instructions like “write a bedtime story about a pink dolphin that teaches children how to be honest,” Banc published an illustrated 27-page book in December.
Banc has since published two more AI-generated books, including an adult coloring book, with more in the works.
“It actually is really simple,” he said, “I was surprised at how fast it went from concept to publishing.”
Not everyone is impressed by the software.
Mark Dawson, who has reportedly sold millions of copies of books he wrote himself through Kindle Direct Publishing, was quick to call ChatGPT-assisted novels “dull” in an email to Reuters.
Dull means not interesting.
Dawson said that merit ― a good quality that deserves to be praised ― is important in the book business.
“Merit plays a part in how books are recommended to other readers. If a book gets bad reviews because the writing is dull then it’s quickly going to sink to the bottom.”
I’m John Russell.
u VOCABULARY
1. ghostwrite n. to write a book, an article, etc., for another person who publishes it as their own work 代人写作；为人捉刀；代写
2. transparency n. the quality of being easy to understand or know about 易懂；清楚；透明度
3. oversight n. the state of being in charge of sb/sth 负责；照管
uQUESTIONS
TASK 1: 判断
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
1. There are a growing number of people who are using ChatGPT to create and sell their own books.
2. Human writers are concerned that ChatGPT-created books could hurt the writing and publishing industry.
3. Using the AI software, Schickler was able to create a 13-page illustrated children’s e-book in a matter of hours.
4. As of mid-February, there were more than 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store that listed ChatGPT as an author or co-author.
5. All professional writers are concerned about the impact that ChatGPT could have on the book publishing industry.
6. Mary Rasenberger is concerned that the ability to create with artificial intelligence could turn the writing of books from an art into a commodity.
7. When asked for comment by Reuters, Amazon said that it had some plans to change or review its policies on the use of AI by authors.
8. For both physical and e-books, Amazon isn’t by far the largest seller.
9. In general, Amazon allows authors to publish without any oversight whatsoever.
10. Everyone is a fan of the ChatGPT software.
TASK 2: 选择题
Choose the best answer.
1. What is ChatGPT?
A. A book publisher.
B. An artificial intelligence program.
C. A book critic.
D. A self-publishing website.
2. How do human writers feel about ChatGPT-created books?
A. They are excited to have new competition.
B. They believe they will benefit from the program.
C. They are concerned that the program will harm the writing and publishing industry.
D. They think the program is a great way to make money.
3. How did Brett Schickler feel about writing a book before he learned about ChatGPT?
A. He believed it was impossible.
B. He was excited to try.
C. He was already a published author.
D. He had never thought about it.
4. What did Brett Schickler create using the AI software?
A. A 30-page illustrated children’s e-book.
B. A 100-page novel.
C. A self-publishing website.
D. An article about the writing industry.
5. What is Mary Rasenberger worried about regarding the impact of ChatGPT on the book publishing industry?
A. The inability to create quality books.
B. A flood of books in the market.
C. The rise of AI in the industry.
D. A lack of transparency from authors and platforms.
6. What is ghostwriting according to Mary Rasenberger?
A. The process of selling books under another author’s name.
B. The practice of hiring someone to write books under another author’s name.
C. The art of turning book writing into a commodity.
D. The act of buying and selling low-quality books.
7. What is Amazon’s response to the question about its policies regarding authors’ use of AI or other automated writing tools?
A. Amazon declined to comment on the matter.
B. Amazon stated that it has no plans to change its policies.
C. Amazon stated that it will investigate the use of AI in book writing.
D. Amazon stated that it will require authors to disclose the use of AI in their books.
8. What is Mark Dawson’s opinion about ChatGPT-assisted novels?
A. He thinks they are interesting and exciting.
B. He thinks they are innovative and creative.
C. He thinks they are dull and lack merit.
D. He thinks they are high-quality and deserving of praise.
u KEY
TASK 1: 判断
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
(T) 1. There are a growing number of people who are using ChatGPT to create and sell their own books.
(T) 2. Human writers are concerned that ChatGPT-created books could hurt the writing and publishing industry.
(F) 3. Using the AI software, Schickler was able to create a 13-page illustrated children’s e-book in a matter of hours.（正确表达）Using the AI software, Schickler was able to create a 30-page illustrated children’s e-book in a matter of hours.
(T) 4. As of mid-February, there were more than 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store that listed ChatGPT as an author or co-author.
(F) 5. All professional writers are concerned about the impact that ChatGPT could have on the book publishing industry.（正确表达）Some professional writers are concerned about the impact that ChatGPT could have on the book publishing industry.
(T) 6. Mary Rasenberger is concerned that the ability to create with artificial intelligence could turn the writing of books from an art into a commodity.
(F) 7. When asked for comment by Reuters, Amazon said that it had some plans to change or review its policies on the use of AI by authors.（正确表达）When asked for comment by Reuters, Amazon did not say whether it had any plans to change or review its policies on the use of AI by authors.
(F) 8. For both physical and e-books, Amazon isn’t by far the largest seller.（正确表达）For both physical and e-books, Amazon is by far the largest seller.
(T) 9. In general, Amazon allows authors to publish without any oversight whatsoever.
(F) 10. Everyone is a fan of the ChatGPT software.（正确表达）Not everyone is a fan of the ChatGPT software.
TASK 2: 选择题
Choose the best answer.
1. What is ChatGPT?
A. A book publisher.
B. An artificial intelligence program.
C. A book critic.
D. A self-publishing website.
【答案】B
【解析】第一句提到ChatGPT是一种人工智能程序。
2. How do human writers feel about ChatGPT-created books?
A. They are excited to have new competition.
B. They believe they will benefit from the program.
C. They are concerned that the program will harm the writing and publishing industry.
D. They think the program is a great way to make money.
【答案】C
【解析】第二句提到人类作家担心ChatGPT创作的书籍可能会损害写作和出版行业。
3. How did Brett Schickler feel about writing a book before he learned about ChatGPT?
A. He believed it was impossible.
B. He was excited to try.
C. He was already a published author.
D. He had always thought about it.
【答案】A
【解析】第三句提到Brett Schickler以前从未想过自己能成为一名作家。
4. What did Brett Schickler create using the AI software?
A. A 30-page illustrated children’s e-book.
B. A 100-page novel.
C. A self-publishing website.
D. An article about the writing industry.
【答案】A
【解析】第六句提到Brett Schickler使用AI软件创作了一本30页的儿童绘本。
5. What is Mary Rasenberger worried about regarding the impact of ChatGPT on the book publishing industry?
A. The inability to create quality books.
B. A flood of books in the market.
C. The rise of AI in the industry.
D. A lack of transparency from authors and platforms.
【答案】 B
【解析】Mary Rasenberger担心ChatGPT可能对图书出版业产生影响，特别是书籍的大量增加。她认为，这些书籍将会充斥市场，导致许多作家失业。选项A、C、D在原文中并没有被提到。
6. What is ghostwriting according to Mary Rasenberger?
A. The process of selling books under another author’s name.
B. The practice of hiring someone to write books or speeches under another author’s name.
C. The art of turning book writing into a commodity.
D. The act of buying and selling low-quality books.
【答案】B
【解析】在原文中，Mary Rasenberger提到了ghostwriting是一种为人所接受的做法，即雇佣他人代笔写稿或演讲辞，且使用另一位作者的名字。因此，选项B是正确的。选项A、C、D与原文描述不符。
7. What is Amazon’s response to the question about its policies regarding authors’ use of AI or other automated writing tools?
A. Amazon declined to comment on the matter.
B. Amazon stated that it has no plans to change its policies.
C. Amazon stated that it will investigate the use of AI in book writing.
D. Amazon stated that it will require authors to disclose the use of AI in their books.
【答案】A
【解析】当被路透社要求发表评论时，亚马逊没有表示是否计划改变或审查关于作者使用AI或其他自动化写作工具的政策。因此，答案为A，即亚马逊拒绝就此事发表评论。
8. What is Mark Dawson’s opinion about ChatGPT-assisted novels?
A. He thinks they are interesting and exciting.
B. He thinks they are innovative and creative.
C. He thinks they are dull and lack merit.
D. He thinks they are high-quality and deserving of praise.
【答案】C
【解析】马克·道森认为ChatGPT协助的小说“乏味”，并在给路透社的一封电子邮件中说道：“品质在书业中起着重要的作用。如果一本书因其乏味的写作而受到差评，那么它很快就会沉入谷底。”因此，答案为C，即马克·道森认为这些小说乏味且缺乏价值。
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