Overview
- James Daunt said in a May 18 interview that Barnes & Noble would sell books written by AI if the books are clearly described as AI‑generated, do not plagiarize existing work, and customers want to buy them.
- Daunt added he thinks AI titles are unlikely to sell in large numbers for now but acknowledged the chain may already carry some AI‑created works among its roughly 300,000 in‑store titles, creating a major policing challenge for the retailer.
- The CEO’s comments have drawn immediate criticism on social media from readers and authors, with some users saying they will boycott the chain and calling for stricter retailer and publisher standards.
- Wider industry concerns feed the response: a 2025 Cambridge University survey found many novelists said their work was used to train models without permission and some publishers have pulled or questioned titles suspected of heavy AI use.
- The dispute could push bookstores and publishers to adopt formal provenance marks and verification systems like Proudly Human, spur legal or industry rules on disclosure, and test Barnes & Noble’s goodwill as it expands its store network.