On 30/8, Jeff O'Neal, co-founder of the literary website Book Riot, published an article discussing the future of writing as artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly takes over human authorship. He highlighted the case of Coral Hart, a South African author specializing in adult romance novels, who published over 200 novels with AI assistance in 2025. According to the New York Times, she once produced a complete manuscript using AI in about 45 minutes.
O'Neal views this as a prime example of AI being integrated into large-scale book production, especially within the romance genre. He stated he was not surprised that the first expose of a professional writer using AI for mass production emerged from "the world of romantic literature". For O'Neal, the core issue does not lie in ethical or artistic considerations, but rather in two long-standing factors that have driven the genre's growth: innovation and frequency of creation.
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Portrait of Jeff O'Neal, host of The Book Riot Podcast and co-founder of Book Riot. Photo: Book Riot
Compared to most other genres, romance literature has led many trends over the past decades, including self-publishing, fanfiction (stories created by fans about existing characters from novels or films), and e-books. Another advantage of this genre is the high and rapid frequency with which works are created. O'Neal believes that generative AI perfectly aligns with these characteristics. In terms of market suitability, romance appears to be the genre most capable of seriously adopting large-scale AI experimentation. He noted that author Coral Hart's use of artificial intelligence to write literature in a short time, and her subsequent offering of AI writing classes, validates his perspective.
The romance genre in the US continued to grow in 2025, even as artificial intelligence began to deeply integrate into the creative process. According to a June 2025 announcement by market research company Circana, 51 million print copies of this genre were sold in 12 months. Approximately 26% of buyers reported reading more romance "compared to one year ago".
The enduring appeal of romance literature also contributes to its expansive readership. Helen Taylor, Professor Emeritus of English Literature at Exeter University, noted in Literary Hub, quoting from her book *Why Women Read Fiction: The Stories of Our Lives*, that "modern romantic literature places women at the center of the story". She argued that this genre fulfills readers' deepest desires for love and intimate relationships, and powerfully resonates with their dreams and fantasies. American writer and photographer Kirk McElhearn observed on his blog Literature & Latte that protagonists are gradually evolving to be more realistic. He commented, "female protagonists are increasingly portrayed as strong, independent, and actively pursuing their desires". McElhearn suggested that this broader representation allows more readers to find common ground with the characters they are reading about. The way readers discover and select stories is also changing. According to The Guardian, specific tropes like "enemies-to-lovers" and "fake dating" are becoming more prevalent in book descriptions and promotional activities. This shift in perception has brought more attention to the genre, thereby introducing works to a wider audience.
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Two of Coral Hart's novels are receiving many 1/5 star reviews on Amazon after readers discovered she used artificial intelligence to write them. Photo: Amazon
Despite the genre's growth, the increasing integration of AI presents challenges. Experts find it difficult to distinguish between AI-written and human-written works, especially in genres with established motifs and formulas like romance. O'Neal posed the question: can large language models (LLMs) write books in any field, replacing human-written content? His answer increasingly seems to be yes. Jeff O'Neal's commentary emerges amidst growing concerns among academics and writers regarding AI's encroachment into creative fields. In August, Villanova University in the US published research indicating that readers rated some short stories generated by ChatGPT 4.0 as enjoyable and readable as those written by humans. Previously, the publishing industry faced numerous controversies, ranging from manuscripts suspected of using AI and literary competition entries requiring creative process reviews, to concerns about copyright and the ability to identify human-authored text.
Thao Uyen (According to Book Riot, The Atlantic, Literary Hub)
