AI & Publishing

AALA’s Positions, Guidance & Resources on Generative AI

Considerations for Evaluating AI Use Cases

The AALA is broadly against any use of generative AI tools that might jeopardize a creator’s confidentiality or copyright, whether by authors/creators, agents, or publishers. Further, we advocate for clear disclosure of the use of AI, whether on the creator’s, agent’s, or publisher’s part, as well as creator approval and control regarding the use of generative AI in the creation, publication, or promotion of a creator’s work.
 
The AALA firmly believes that, unless clearly and explicitly granted to the publisher in the author/illustrator’s publishing agreement, the right to license a work for the training of generative AI is retained by the creator or copyright holder exclusively. Under no circumstances should a creator’s work be used for AI training or related uses without consent and compensation.

Agents should pay particular attention to certain potential risks in evaluating specific AI use cases by authors/creators, agents, and publishers, such as:

  • Risks to copyrightability: Currently AI-generated intellectual property is not copyrightable under US law. Will the use of AI put the creator’s copyright of the work at risk?
  • Risks of inaccuracy: Will the AI tool introduce “hallucinations” or inaccurate information?
  • Risks to confidentiality or exclusivity of rights granted: The terms of service of public AI tools do not necessarily protect confidentiality or creators’ ownership rights. Will use of an AI tool jeopardize a creator or agent’s obligation to keep information they might upload confidential? Will use of that tool violate the creator’s license of exclusive rights to a third party, such as a publisher? Does use of the tool inadvertently include a creator’s work into a dataset used for training or refining the tool?
  • Risks to trust, especially in the author-agent and author-publisher relationship: How might usage of AI tools in the writing, creative, or editorial process, especially if undisclosed, affect the relationship of trust and cooperation among parties involved in creating and publishing creative works?

AALA’s Stance on AI Revenue & Licensing

Association of American Literary Agents (AALA)  firmly believes that, unless clearly and explicitly granted to the publisher in the author/illustrator’s publishing agreement, the right to license a work for the training of generative AI rests with the creator or copyright holder and should not be used without consent and compensation.

AALA favors the establishment of licensing mechanisms and marketplaces to the extent that they facilitate an opt-in model for copyright holders.

Press Releases

March 3, 2026: AALA Endorses CLEAR Act Bill As An Important Step in AI Training Debate 

Press Inquiries

If you are a member of the press and would like to get in touch with AALA for a comment on ongoing AI issues, please contact communications(at) aalitagents (dot) org.

Public-Facing Resources

This educational resource was created by the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and is supported by member dues. It is intended as a public-facing resource for members to share with their clients. If you are an agent and not yet an AALA member, we encourage you to apply here to access additional non-public resources, panels, and presentations available to members. Current members can find those materials in the Member Resources section. Authors whose agents are not members are welcome to encourage them to join in support of this resource and the many other initiatives AALA undertakes on behalf of the industry.

AALA Member Resources

AALA is pleased to provide the following resources, compiled by both the Copyright Committee and the AI Special Committee (which includes members from the Contracts Committee, MDI Committee, Illustration Committee, Copyright Committee.) These materials include AALA’s time-sensitive alerts, copies of our recordings, FAQs and other resources to assist members in navigating AI and large language models. Access is limited to AALA members; you must be logged into the website to view the content below.