John H. Thomas says AI should assist writers, not replace them

Techno-thriller author John H. Thomas argues that AI can speed up research, editing and translation, but human storytelling still carries the emotional weight readers want. His comments land as AI-generated titles surge on Amazon and raise new questions for publishers.

Why it matters: - AI-generated books are already reshaping publishing, with new research saying AI content makes up more than 60% of new eBook releases on Amazon. - Thomas argues that the value of human fiction rises as AI output grows, because readers still connect to lived experience, emotion and judgment. - The debate affects both professional authors and the broader publishing market as monthly eBook releases near 300,000.

What happened: - John H. Thomas, a techno-thriller author, laid out his case for keeping AI in an assistant role and not letting it become the writer. - Thomas pointed to his own The Chronos Files series, including The Terminal Gene and Echoes of the Gene, as examples of fiction built around the limits of machine intelligence. - Thomas said AI can help with nonfiction research, organization, fact-checking, grammar, readability and translation. - Thomas also said AI should not replace the creative process behind novels, which can take months or years to write.

The details: - Cornell University and the University of Minnesota, in research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found AI-generated content now accounts for more than 60% of new eBook releases on Amazon. - The same research said monthly Amazon title releases have tripled to nearly 300,000 from the pre-ChatGPT level. - Thomas said a novel reflects revisions, hard choices and personal investment that an algorithm cannot duplicate. - Thomas said AI is most useful when it handles repetitive or technical tasks, freeing authors to focus on characters, narrative and original ideas. - Thomas said translation tools could help authors reach readers in multiple languages. - Thomas said the best books reflect curiosity, struggle, imagination and lived experience. - Thomas said a language model can produce text, but he questioned whether it can carry the emotional weight of a story.

Between the lines: - Thomas is framing the AI debate as a test of authorship, not just efficiency. - His fiction mirrors that concern: in Echoes of the Gene, an AI built to map emotional patterns becomes harder to distinguish from a human presence after absorbing enough behavioral data. - That parallel suggests Thomas sees a practical publishing risk and a creative one at the same time. - The message to writers is less about rejecting AI and more about learning how to use it without surrendering narrative control.

What's next: - Thomas expects the authors who adapt best will be the ones who understand AI well enough to stay ahead of it. - He says the winners in publishing will be writers who use technology for routine work and keep the core storytelling decisions human. - Thomas is available for interviews, and more information is available at the company's announcement.