Human-Created or AI-Generated? The Authors Guild’s New Badge and What it Means

I never thought my content would be overrun with pop culture, but AI is the gift that keeps on giving.

This week, my attention was caught by The Authors Guild. The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. It is now offering a “Human Authored” certificate that human authors can place directly on their book covers.

Why the “Human Authored” Badge?

With an increasing number of AI tools producing text, visuals, and even music, human creators—writers especially—are concerned. Imagine spending years crafting a novel only to see it competing for shelf space with AI-generated books. To give human-authored work a clear distinction, the Authors Guild came up with a badge that says, “Yes, a real human actually wrote this.”

Do Readers Care?

Many experts believe that readers, will prefer to support human creators over algorithms. Ethical labels like fair-trade, cruelty-free, or organic have been successful in other industries, showing people are willing to pay a premium for products and services that align with their values. Similarly, this badge might appeal to readers who value the personal touch only a human storyteller can provide.

Can We Trust the Badge?

At the moment, authors don’t have to run their manuscripts through AI detection software to get the badge—they’re simply asked to self-certify. So, there’s a bit of an “honor system” at play. The Guild’s endgame? They’re hoping for clear legal guidelines that would require all AI-generated content to be labeled.

Why This Could Matter to Everyone

The choice to buy “Human Authored” books could have ripple effects beyond your reading list. Requiring plain language declarations about creative output could push other industries to appropriately value human creativity, originality, and authenticity. Instead of representations and warranties buried deep in service agreements, let’s encourage transparency regarding the source of deliverables.

So, what do you think? Would you pay extra for a book with a “Human Authored” badge?

IP is Fuel 🚀

Erin