Bozeman booksellers push back after Barnes and Noble AI comment

Barnes and Noble CEO James Daunt recently stated in a Today Show interview that he would be open to selling books written by artificial intelligence.

“So as long as an AI-written book says it’s an AI-written book and doesn’t pretend to be something else and isn’t ripping off somebody else, as long as that’s clearly stated and the customer wants to buy it, then we will stock them,” Daunt said during the May 18 interview.

He also mentioned during the interview that the stores could already have AI-generated books in stock.

“We have 300,000 titles across all of our stores,” Daunt said. “Do we think that some of those may be AI? The chances are that they are, but we’re not really conscious of them.”

But AI books likely haven’t reached Bozeman’s only Barnes and Noble location yet, according to Barnes and Noble Senior Bookseller Taylor Hauser. The Chronicle asked her whether the national book store chain stocks AI-generated books.

“As far as I know we don’t,” Hauser said.

She said there wasn’t an explicit way to tell whether a book had been written by AI because it “depends on how transparent the publisher is.”

Hauser mentioned Barnes and Noble stocks books from publishers that work with the company’s corporate office, and therefore, the Bozeman branch is not part of that decision making process.

The Country Bookshelf, an independent bookstore on Bozeman’s Main Street, maintains a different stance on AI books.

“We try really hard to vet whether our writing is an AI product or not,” said Front of House Manager Marion Bowler.

General Manager China Reevers said the store is opposed to AI and wants to continue supporting human art and artists. Reevers doesn’t want AI audio book narrators, authors, or cover artists in the store.

“We strive to introduce individuals to authentic voices that can’t be replicated by AI,” Reevers said. “We do not stand for it and we do not want it in our stores.”