It’s official, AI has begun infiltrating numerous industries, and most consumers are none the wiser. Loads of magickal and occult books on Amazon, for example, are written by “authors” who have no online presence or history. They are, of course, fake. We see them producing tens of titles a month, and hundreds of books a year, especially in the form of ebooks. It’s overwhelming and distressing.

Unknowing consumers, especially those who are new to Witchcraft and occult scenes, purchase these books with genuine curiosity. They are met with recycled information, words and chapter titles stolen from preexisting copyrighted books, and an array of patchwork sentences that don’t quite make sense. Much like the sixth finger or third leg produced in AI-rendered images, there’s just something “off” about most AI-generated text. However, it’s getting better and better; more difficult to discern.

There needs to be a crackdown on AI generation. At the very least, customers need to know what they’re buying. A single human who generates AI content, creates fake authors, and compiles the material into book format, can make far more royalties than someone who has spent years performing meticulous research, writing, and editing.

It’s a roundhouse kick to the face of real writers. After all the blood, sweat, and tears of producing real occult books, witnessing a mudslide of artificial books whose contents rely on ripping off the work of actual creators makes us feel that all our hard work was for naught. Artists of all varieties are having similar experiences, from musicians to visual artists to actors and producers.

What can be done? Before purchasing a book that looks appealing, do a quick bit of research on the alleged author to ensure they’re a real person. This should become apparent rather quickly, judging by their online presence or lack thereof. Additionally, go to known publishers’ websites; their contracts, these days, prohibit authors from incorporating AI content into their work.