AI is making inroads into book translation and illustration

Artificial intelligence has entered book translation and illustration, although manuscripts written entirely by AI remain rare, Tauno Vahter, editor-in-chief of the Tänapäev publishing house, told ERR’s Vikerhommik radio programme.

Vahter said publishers receive manuscripts from authors at the same time, and fully AI-written submissions are not common. He said such texts are usually easy to identify, adding that AI cannot yet produce a full-length book that keeps readers engaged throughout.

He pointed to a dispute over a book by Haitian-Canadian-French author Thélyson Orélien, which was initially submitted for France’s Goncourt literary prize. AI-detection software labelled the text 100 per cent AI-generated, but Orélien denied using AI. Some publishers have paused translations, while others say they have not seen enough evidence to stop publication. The book is due to appear in Finland, Vahter said.

AI is already being used in book production for proofreading and illustrations. Vahter said AI-generated cover designs are used in Estonia, and some have been selected for an annual competition recognising the country’s most beautiful books.

He said AI illustrations for children’s books are also becoming more common, with some Estonian authors using AI for all the images in a book. Producing a complete set of illustrations can take only a few hours and is cheaper and faster, though the result depends partly on how much work is put into refining the images.

Vahter said AI images are generally still recognisable, but their quality may already exceed that of some illustrators.