AI-generated literature and the vectorized Word

Abstract

This thesis focuses on contemporary AI-generated literature that has been traditionally published in the form of a printed book, labeled and interpreted as something written by "artificial intelligence," and that necessarily depends on vector representations of linguistic data. This thesis argues that AI-generated literature is not a monolithic practice that erases the role of the author, but rather encompasses a diversity of practice that includes divergent artistic and writerly perspectives. Through an in-depth look at three books of contemporary AI-generated literature and discussions with their human authors, this thesis details the authorial and writerly labor throughout the stages of datafication, vectorization, generation, and pagination in order to categorize the writerly practices that are involved in the creation of this type of work. This thesis also considers how these practices are preceded by "analog" types of writing, compares divergent authorial perspectives, and discusses ways of reading AI-generated literature, including a material analysis of how AI-generated text interacts with the printed book, how authors and publishers use paratextual elements to guide readings, along with additional points of entry for analyzing literary AI-generated texts.