A.I Use: Why Are Only Africans & Authors of Colour Being Targeted?

The rate at which writers are being accused of using AI to write their works has been increasing. Due to these allegations, they have either lost lucrative book deals or had their books pulled off the shelves.

AI has been viewed as both useful and dangerous: useful if applied the right way and for the right reasons, and dangerous because it could be addictive or costly for creatives when it's chosen over them.

The big question: why are only Africans and authors of colour being targeted? Cases in point: 

Nigerian author Jerry Falade lost a $2.4 million publishing deal for his debut novel, Call Me, I'll Hide the Body, accused because he made use of African dialect in his manuscript.

Mia Ballard, whose self-published novel Shy Girl was dropped by Hachette Book Group, is African American and of Native American heritage. AND she's been writing since the young age of 10!

                                   

Canadian Haitian author Thélyson Orélien's C'était ça ou mourir (It Was Either That or Die) was pulled from the Prix Goncourt shortlist.

African American author H. M. Wolfe (Hallah Mikaela Wolfe) was accused of writing her best-selling dystopian novel, Daggermouth, with AI. Fortunately, her publishers stood by her!  

Trinidadian author Jamir Nazir's Commonwealth Prize-winning short story, The Serpent in the Grove, was alleged to have been written via AI but was later reinstated as the winner after going over his drafts and notes. 

One can argue that it's the fault of defective A.I. detector software, but it's also obvious that racial bias is at play here. Has the world sunk so low that it takes anonymous (and malicious) social media posts about the authors' work to carry out a 'so-called' investigation... and use AI technology to authenticate the work in question? Even if it went through an actual human process, reading and analysing with no technology — are we supposed to believe they would be objective?

This alarming trend is not encouraging, especially for upcoming Black authors and authors of colour. What future can they envision if their creativity continues to be doubted?

Africa and non-white continents have produced talented authors for centuries. Today's authors are largely inspired by these historical figures and their own life experiences. But apparently, there are racists and haters out there, hiding behind their devices, warped sense of thinking, and plain prejudice, who decide to accuse them of not writing their stories as a malicious means of sabotage, enough words cast about to discredit hard-working Africans & authors of colour. 

Published African authors & Authors of Colour have been around long before this entitled era and have made their mark in literature and got their well-earned accolades and awards. 

They have the right to have their works published and write on any platform, without feeling that they have to look over their shoulder for detractors ready to sabotage them, or go the extra mile to prove the work is theirs. 

They have the right to be heard; they have the right to be recognised for their works, and those works to have the opportunity to speak for themselves. They don't deserve to be subjected to this racially-based witch hunt in an attempt to stall the progress and legacy of today's generation of black authors. 

Hence, Black authors' voices will not be silenced; even more so after this. This might be Open Season for Black Authors and Authors of Colour, but their hunters won't win.