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This novel anticipates today's AI-generated book publishing crisis

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The cover of "Who Knows You By Heard" beside author C.J. Farley. (Courtesy of C.J. Farley)
The cover of "Who Knows You By Heard" beside author C.J. Farley. (Courtesy of C.J. Farley)

"Who Knows You By Heart," the latest novel from author and journalist C.J. Farley, grapples with the opportunities and the dangers of artificial intelligence — including the threat posed by generative AI to artists and the value of their creativity.

Published last year, the novel even includes a subplot about a tech firm that generates and publishes a book under an author's name but without their permission.

Here & Now's Indira Lakshmanan speaks with Farley about AI's infiltration of the real-world book publishing industry and how artificial intelligence may force a reckoning about what it means to be human.

This segment aired on April 7, 2026.

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