As a proud member of my local book club, you can imagine my horror when I was told of a fellow member who had resorted to using ChatGPT to “read” our monthly selections.
Instead of visiting the local library, browsing Vinted, or finding another way to access the reads, they were tasking the AI tool with summarising each book — both in completion and chapter by chapter, in short sentences — so they could grasp the story without ever turning a page.
It’s a saddening representation of many modern-day attitudes towards reading, and a reflection of how heavily reliant we have become on AI tools to lead our everyday lives.
There are a few occasions where it might make sense to use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to “read” books. For example, school students may use these tools to summarise their syllabus reads. It wouldn’t be the first time a student has made use of the internet instead of reading the source — not everyone excels in or enjoys literary studies. The use of LLMs may also come in handy for comprehension and reading support; perhaps using these tools as aids when trying to make sense of complex topics.
Generally, however, outside of education people read books for enjoyment. Book club members, in particular, are typically fans of reading and discussing literature; no one is forcing them to attend a monthly reading group.
Not only that, I have heard of readers in the online world using AI tools to summarise a book to find out if it is “for them” or not. Is this not further proof that we are becoming too reliant on our comfort zones? Unfortunately not everyone will enjoy every book they pick up, and that’s kind of the point. Reading brings about a rare opportunity to build opinions as you go, and if you’re not enjoying a book you can simply put it down.
With that said, the magic of reading is those books you categorically think won’t be for you, but they absolutely are. Using an AI to tell you whether you’ll like something or not, instead of figuring it out for yourself, strips you of the beautiful experience of reading and developing your thoughts and views as you get deeper into the story. That’s not to say you can’t DNF (did not finish) a book, but I personally think it’s better to figure your thoughts out for yourself rather than relying on a robot.
It’s arguable that using a tool like ChatGPT to summarise a book saves the time and effort of actually reading it; there are many tomes sat on my own shelf that I’m holding off on reading purely because of how long they will take me. However, the very purpose of books is to spend time invested in something. They are meant to take effort, which is becoming challenging in a world where everything seems easily, and instantly, accessible. A 500-page book might not be as easy to consume as a 20-second TikTok, but which one will have a bigger impact on our lives?
The only reasonable justification to using AI tools instead of reading is affordability: books aren’t always cheap, and not everyone has the luxury of spending money on something they might not enjoy. Fortunately libraries do exist to make books accessible, but as their funding decreases it makes alternative methods seem much more appealing.
There are a small handfuls of pros to using AI to “read” a book for you, but in reality there are only a few select people who should actually do this. Reading is such a vital part of human existence, not only for our literacy skills and attention spans but also our emotional intelligence, empathy, and critical thinking skills. We can’t afford to lose such important parts of our human nature.
What I love about reading is the fact I can form my own opinions, even if they may vastly differ from others’. Authors can push boundaries, create worlds, and make social commentary; they are artists, and they deserve more respect than to have their words simply reduced to AI summaries.
Words by Sophie Coombs
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.