The Authors Guild, a US writers' association, has launched the Human Authored project in earnest.
Human Authored is a system that certifies the authorship of a book without using AI, allowing readers to clearly identify the author of a book.
The Authors Guild, an American writers' association, recently announced the Human Authored project and began offering an official mark that can certify authorship by humans, not AI.
The certification system, which was first announced in October 2023 and began in earnest last year, was put in place to help human authors distinguish their work from the books that AI produces in bulk.
Currently, only books written by Authors Guild members and single authors can be certified, but in the future, books written by non-members and co-authors will be included.
Certified books can display a special logo, and readers can search for certified books in a public database. However, while it is possible to certify works that have been partially used by AI as spellcheckers or research tools, works whose literary expressions have been replaced by AI cannot be certified.
Finding the Rights and Place of Creators in the Age of AI
As we enter the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the publishing industry is increasingly concerned that AI may replace the role of existing creators. AI is already being used in a variety of fields, including translation, article writing, creative writing, and even academic books. This raises the issue of protecting artists' copyrights and recognizing the value of their creations.
In fact, The Bookseller of the UK announced a study on "The Impact of AI on the Publishing Industry," revealing that AI has caused a third of translators to lose their jobs.
The Society of Authors in the UK stresses the need for government regulation to address the issue of AI using copyrighted works for unauthorized learning.
In the UK, authors have submitted an AI-related report to the government for copyright protection by the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), and the UK government is discussing clarifying copyright rules for AI learning.
Amid these concerns, the "Human Authored" certification can be interpreted as a move to create a transparent system in which AI and human creators can coexist, rather than simply rejecting AI.
"This certification is not about rejecting AI technology, but about helping readers trust the emotion and originality of human authors," said Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild. "Even when using AI-based spellcheck or research tools, it is important to ensure that the essence of the creation comes from human intellectual capacity."

The flood of AI creations, the publishing industry's response
As AI rapidly transforms the publishing industry, some major publishers are exploring ways to work with AI. British publisher HarperCollins has signed a deal to make some of its authors' works available for training AI models. Academic publishers Taylor & Francis and Routledge have also signed multi-million dollar deals with AI companies to allow them to use their content for AI training.
However, some artists have voiced their opposition, fearing that "the government's policy to make the UK an AI powerhouse will ultimately result in the infringement of creators' rights."
There are also cases of AI being used as a new business model for writing books. AI-based publisher Spines has announced plans to publish 8,000 AI-authored books by 2025, and is rapidly rolling out AI-based audiobook production and automated translation systems.

The Korean government's response
South Korea is also actively working to address copyright issues related to AI.
On January 8, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism released its work plan for 2025, stating that it will "preemptively respond to the rapid development and popularization of AI," and that it will "push for the amendment of the Copyright Act and the enactment of the Publicity Rights Act in the first half of this year." First, the plan is to push for an amendment to the Copyright Act that includes a requirement to disclose a list of data used for AI learning.
It also plans to formulate and release a "future strategy for the content industry in the AI era" (2025-2035) in the first half of the year, as well as enact the tentatively named Publicity Rights Protection and Utilization Act.
Publicity rights are the rights to commercially exploit an individual's name, likeness, voice, signature, image or other identifying material. Simply put, it is the right to regulate the use of a celebrity's face or name in advertisements, products, etc. without their consent. For example, if an advertisement is produced using a certain celebrity's face without permission, or if a product is sold using a sports star's name, the celebrity may claim publicity rights.
What is the relationship between publicity rights and AI?
As AI technology advances, there are more and more cases of celebrities' faces being used in deepfake technology or voices being synthesized to create advertisements or content. Because such unauthorized use is increasingly likely to violate the right of publicity, the need for legal protection is becoming more pronounced. The current push to enact the "Law on the Protection and Use of the Right of Publicity (tentative name)" can also be seen as a response to the new legal issues raised by AI technology. If enacted, the bill is expected to provide a legal basis for regulating the unauthorized use of celebrity faces or voices by AI.
Now is the time to certify that a work is human-made.
As AI technology enters the realm of creative work in earnest, we are entering an era in which works must be certified as human-made. In an age where AI can write, readers have begun to wonder, "Is the book I'm reading really written by a human?" Authors have no choice but to find new ways to distinguish their work from AI.
Human Authored certification may be the first step in finding a way for humans and artificial intelligence to coexist in the AI era.
Discussions on how AI will change the publishing industry and how human authors will be recognized for their value will continue. South Korea should also seek and implement countermeasures without delay.