13 Authors Face Boycott Threats Over 2022 Google AI Writing Study
Updated
Updated · Engadget · Aug 11
13 Authors Face Boycott Threats Over 2022 Google AI Writing Study
3 articles · Updated · Engadget · Aug 11
Summary
Thirteen writers who joined Google’s 2022 Wordcraft workshop are facing online backlash after an August 6 Bluesky post resurfaced the study and branded them collaborators with an AI system.
The criticism reflects a sharp shift in attitudes toward generative AI since 2022, when Google gave participants 8 weeks to test a LaMDA-based “magic text editor” later tied to technology behind Gemini.
Several authors responded by saying they did not understand how the tool was trained at the time; Eugenia Triantafyllou said she did not know copyrighted material was involved and would not join such a study today.
Google’s white paper said some participants already worried about the source of Wordcraft’s suggestions, and one author searched outputs online to check for plagiarism.
The flare-up shows how AI’s expansion into creative work has hardened ethical lines for authors, with past experimentation now triggering boycott calls and reputational damage.