Haruki Murakami Says AI Cannot Replace Writers, Citing Creative Inspiration

Generative AI’s rapid expansion into publishing and writing has fueled anxiety in literary circles over the use of works for model training, the mass production of text by AI tools and pressure on creators’ compensation. A University of Cambridge survey of British novelists found that more than half of respondents feared being replaced by AI. Some had already seen their income affected by training-data practices and generative tools, bringing copyright and writers’ livelihoods into sharper focus.

Japanese author Haruki Murakami recently addressed those concerns, arguing that AI can only draw analogies from existing works and past patterns. It cannot replicate the flashes of inspiration experienced by human creators, he said, adding that he was not worried about good writers being replaced. Murakami said the continuing decline in readership may be a more difficult problem than the technological threat. Reports did not disclose the survey date, sample size or the amount of income affected.