THE EUROPEAN WRITERS’ COUNCIL LAUNCHES ITS INITIATIVE TO FIGHT MISUSE OF so-called  Artificial Intelligence   IN THE WRITTEN CULTURE:

www.AgainstWritoids.org

EWC presents the concept of “writoid¹” to avoid the false impression of Artificial Generative “Intelligence” as a mysterious and sage oracle, but as simple and high risk und unreliable remix software.

During the Annual General Meeting in Berlin on 2-4 June 2023 the new elected Board of the EWC announced the initiative #AgainstWritoids – sparked by the newly elected President of European Writers’ Council, Miguel Ángel Serrano, supported by the vice Presidents Maïa Bensimon and Eystein Hanssen, and the President of Honor, Nina George. The European Writers’ Council, the largest international organisation defending 220.000 writers and translators of the book sector, has now embarked in a non-stop series of meetings, statements, joint declarations and feedbacks with alliances and authors’ associations as well as decision-makers in the EU.

The points of view and ideas of EWC, its members and the writers that are participating with articles and reflections are expressed via www.AgainstWritoids.org. Against Writoids displays not only legal or political claims, but a sincere concern about menacing variables of the misuse of advanced technology towards reduction of diversity, increase in discrimination bias, or threats to freedom of expression. 

The EWC states in its Manifesto:

We, the writers, claim for our rights as authors and professionals. We reclaim our right to be listened, to bring onto the table the fears and doubts of millions of readers, citizens, human beings. We stand up for the liberty of us all. Technology should neither drive our lives, nor compose our dreams […]

The European Writers’ Council calls out to writers’ organisations for statements on AI impacting living and working as writers and invites writers cordially to join and to support human writers, to stand AGAINST WRITOIDS. Find more @ AGAINSTWRITOIDS.org .

Share the words and vision – with your colleagues, your organisations, via Social Media and other channels!

Visit the web page to learn more and get in contact with EWC to support the initiative.

 

 

 

Webdesign by @eyedentities / Angela Schwarze

¹WRITOID: 

What is a writoid? It’s a robot trying to imitate the style and ways of a Human writer. It’s not about fighting the technology per se, but to claim for an ethical and well-regulated way of using it. As an example, there are suspicions of allegedly theft of copyrighted works to train these software models. In recent days, EWC posed the ART principle: Authorisation, Remuneration and Transparency. By no means should copyrighted texts be used by AI corporations without the author being informed, recognized and compensated.