To Prompt or Not to Prompt: Possible Impacts of AI in the Generation of Fiction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21415006Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Creation, Fiction, Reading, Education, Literature.Abstract
Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence have made the production of literary fiction accessible to many users, enabling the individualized creation of fiction for personal consumption. This article examines the individual and cultural implications of AI-assisted fiction through a multidisciplinary framework. Drawing on a method triangulation, the study focuses on five dynamics likely to be disrupted by AI-generated fiction: democratization, customization and filter bubbles, connection and solitude, creativity, and the effects on professional writers. While AI-generated fiction holds democratizing potential by lowering barriers to literary production and enabling personalized learning, emotional regulation, and self-reflection, it also raises concerns regarding cultural fragmentation and the reinforcement of individual filter bubbles. Further, customized fiction may change experiences of empathy and connectedness, potentially substituting social interaction with parasocial or self-referential engagement. Finally, the article considers the ambiguous status of creativity in AI-assisted writing and the challenges posed to professional authorship and copyright rules. Overall, the findings suggest that fiction generated with AI neither constitutes a purely emancipatory nor a purely disruptive force; rather, its societal impact will strongly depend on how these technologies are integrated, regulated, and taught within educational and cultural contexts.
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