The Australian Society of Authors exists to support authors and illustrators to pursue creative careers, and to receive fair payment for their work. 

Authors and illustrators create the stories and ideas that are integral to Australian culture, including the rich cultural heritage of thousands of years of First Nations storytelling. Authors’ books delight and move us. Their scholarly or educational work, criticism, commentary or analysis is central to knowledge and information production. Creators hold a mirror to our society, helping us understand who we are and who we might become. They are among our most thoughtful and vital voices. Authors’ and illustrators’ work has enormous social, cultural, and economic value. 

The ASA supports human authorship and acknowledges the irreplaceable contribution of human creators. ASA staff will not use generative AI in the course of our work. If you’re reading an article on our website, if you receive an email from the ASA, if you download one of our resources, a human wrote it. We will not use generative AI to assess applications, administer awards, conduct research, or edit our work. When you call, a human answers.

Exceptions to this approach include our testing of generative AI systems to inform our advocacy, or unintentional use – for example, where it is not possible to shut off generative AI-powered features of software or platforms. The ASA uses a mix of stock and proprietary photography in our communications, and we do our best to mitigate the risks of inadvertently using any imagery which may be AI-generated. This is a rapidly evolving landscape and the ASA will endeavour to keep up to date with best practice.

We believe transparency around AI use is vital to protect trust in our industry. Authors, publishers, and readers deserve to know when they are interacting with AI-generated content.