Reader Expectations in the Age of AI

This article is the next in a series on the impact of artificial intelligence on literature and reading. I requested an article on this topic through WIX AI post creator and am pulling it apart one sub-heading at a time. Read Part One: The Impact of Generative AI on Literary Quality and Reader Expectations in Fiction

Reminder: my comments are in italics and indented. The rest is straight from the AI’s mouth... so to speak.

Image by BrownMantis from Pixabay (edited by Patricia Leslie)

Reader Expectations in the Age of AI

A central worry is whether AI will diminish reader expectations. In today’s fast-paced world, readers often turn to short, engaging stories. This trend may lead some to favor quick, albeit shallow narratives produced by algorithms. According to a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, 55% of young readers reported that they prefer shorter forms of content, which raises concerns about their appreciation for complex storytelling and deep character development.

Have you noticed a shortening of your attention span? Especially after you’ve scrolled through your social media newsfeed? Long-form writing becomes harder to read and, worse, sometimes harder to comprehend. I’ve noticed this in my reading. But it’s not just me. I read this article in the Guardian three years ago. If you’re after a bit more detail in this “trend”, read “How does technology affect the attention spans of different age groups?” [OxJournal]. I read through (okay, scrolled through - shortened attention span, remember) a few more articles and noticed that what was a trend a few years ago is now a crisis.

Anyway, that’s a rabbit-hole for a future article. Narratives created by artificial intelligence are often shorter (compounding the impact of social media scrolling), biased, and often, complete bullshit.

I looked up the Pew Research Center for the 2022 survey of young readers mentioned by WIX AI. It doesn’t actually mention the statistic above. I even asked Claude AI if it was mentioned in case my fuzzy brain cells were missing it and, no, not mentioned. I must assume that the AI that created this I’m dissecting, summarised from all the other statistics or made it up. I appreciate the concern for complex storytelling and character development that it outlined. That concerns me too, and it is an important way to recognise AI storytelling from human creation more on that in the next article).

On the flip side, exposure to AI-generated narratives might encourage readers to seek richer, more profound literature. If they find themselves inundated with basic plots, they could develop a stronger desire for stories that capture human emotion and intricacy. Authors may need to innovate more, refining their techniques to ensure they meet changing reader expectations.

Authors need to innovate to meet changing reader expectations? While I’m all for innovation and keeping up with expectations and interest, not at the cost of complexity and development.

Do people who read a lot of AI-created content suddenly become interested in delving deeper into stories? If scrolling shortens attention spans and AI storytelling is often flat, biased and based on algorithms that track what the reader has been scrolling through and clicking on, then how are they being inspired to dig deeper? This sort of reader training does not lead to increased critical thinking unless the reader gets sick of the BS and breaks old habits. This is not a simple thing to do and is not something many people would even think about.

If you’re a dedicated reader of novels or non-fiction books, then this probably doesn’t impact you. If you read printed books, then even less so. But if you read e-books, use social media, scroll through Reels and Videos, then take a harder look at what you’re being presented with, and what is being “suggested” to you by online platforms like Amazon and YouTube.

I’m amazed at how easy it is to get hooked on AI-created stories. Have you been dragged into the void before you realised it? And then found your feeds clogging up with repetitious “news” and “facts”? It's a slippery slope so take a look now at what you're reading online. If it's starting to sound a bit "same-same" and is in short bites, it may not have been written by a real life author.

Coming up, Identifying AI-Created Literature and then the Intersection of AI and Literature.

With some trepidation, I may also explore books written by artificial intelligence and published - electronically and physically.