Japanese author Rie Kudan recently made headlines after revealing that her award-winning novel, "The Tokyo Tower of Sympathy," was partly generated with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The 33-year-old writer acknowledged the contribution of ChatGPT, an AI language model, which provided word-for-word content for approximately 5% of her acclaimed book. Kudan's admission came shortly after being honored with the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for her outstanding work of fiction by a promising new writer.

During a press conference, Kudan confidently shared her intention to continue utilizing the benefits of AI in her literary creations while allowing her creativity to flourish. "I plan to continue to profit from the use of AI in the writing of my novels while letting my creativity express itself to the fullest," she stated.

"The Tokyo Tower of Sympathy" revolves around the challenges faced by an architect tasked with constructing a humane high-rise prison in Tokyo where offenders are rehabilitated. The novel skillfully interweaves themes of AI, captivating readers with its thought-provoking narrative and earning high praise from the judging committee, who described it as "practically flawless."

Kudan took this opportunity to highlight her personal reliance on ChatGPT in overcoming various dilemmas in her own life. She confessed to seeking input from the AI model when she felt unable to confide in anyone else. Interestingly, when the AI did not offer the expected response, she found inspiration in her own feelings and infused them into the lines of the protagonist.

While Kudan's use of AI in her novel has garnered attention, she is not the first artist to spark controversy by incorporating artificial intelligence into their creative process. In recent years, concerns among creative professionals about their livelihoods being threatened by AI advancement have led to actions such as a class action lawsuit against ChatGPT's creators, OpenAI. Authors including George R. R. Martin, Jodi Picoult, and John Grisham are part of this legal initiative, alleging that OpenAI utilized copyrighted material to train its language models.

Furthermore, over 10,000 authors, including acclaimed writers like James Patterson, Roxane Gay, and Margaret Atwood, have signed an open letter demanding that AI industry leaders obtain consent from authors before using their work for training large language models. They also advocate for fair compensation for such usage.

However, writer and prize committee member Keiichiro Hirano defended Kudan's approach, stating that the committee did not consider her use of AI as problematic. In a social media post, Hirano clarified that the mention of generative AI in Kudan's work was intentional, and further emphasized that Kudan had not violated any standards with "Tokyo Sympathy Tower."

While Kudan's innovative use of AI has garnered interest and increased curiosity about her work among some on social media, others have criticized her approach, deeming it disrespectful to fellow authors who create without AI assistance. As the dialogues surrounding the intersection of AI and creativity continue to evolve, it is clear that differing opinions and debates will persist in the literary community.