The organization that runs National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) declared condemnation of AI “classist and ableist,” and participants in its annual writing challenge are pissed.
In a Zendesk post published on Saturday titled “What is NaNoWriMo's position on Artificial Intelligence (AI)?,” NaNoWriMo organizers wrote that it “does not explicitly support any specific approach to writing, nor does it explicitly condemn any approach, including the use of AI.”
NaNoWriMo started as a group writing project in the ‘90s with the goal of writing a 50,000-word manuscript in one month (November), but in 2005, NaNoWriMo became a nonprofit organization that takes donations and runs fundraising campaigns.
“We also want to be clear in our belief that the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones, and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege,” the post continues. It then outlines how it feels AI condemnation is classist, ableist, and poses general access issues.
“Not all brains have [sic] same abilities and not all writers function at the same level of education or proficiency in the language in which they are writing,” the organizers write in the “Ableism” section. “Some brains and ability levels require outside help or accommodations to achieve certain goals.”
In the post, NaNoWriMo acknowledges that this will piss some writers off: “We recognize that some members of our community stand staunchly against AI for themselves, and that's perfectly fine,” the post concludes. “As individuals, we have the freedom to make our own decisions.”
Last year, a group of writers—including Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and Jodi Picoult—sued OpenAI and sought class-action status, claiming that ChatGPT copied their works without permission. And last month, a group of eight news outlets, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post and several other papers filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming OpenAI “purloined millions” of copyrighted news articles without permission or payment.
Daniel José Older, a lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic and author of multiple series including Outlaw Saints, posted his resignation from the NaNoWriMo writers board following the announcement:
Hello @NaNoWriMo this is me DJO officially stepping down from your Writers Board and urging every writer I know to do the same. Never use my name in your promo again in fact never say my name at all and never email me again. Thanks! https://t.co/KDKZ0zVx3H
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) September 2, 2024
“Hello @NaNoWriMo this is me DJO officially stepping down from your Writers Board and urging every writer I know to do the same,” he wrote. “Never use my name in your promo again in fact never say my name at all and never email me again. Thanks!”
Last year, NaNoWriMo took a softer stance on the use of AI in writing: “'Winning' is a personal achievement and has always been based on the honor system! If using AI will assist your creative process, you are welcome to use it,” the organizers wrote. “Using ChatGPT to write your entire novel would defeat the purpose of the challenge, though.”
