# Big Five publishers secretly use AI for emails, copy and art without author consent

Digest AI · Business & Funding · published 2026-10-09T19:28:49Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/big-five-publishers-secretly-use-ai-for-emails-copy-and-art-without-au

## Summary

**Three of the Big Five US publishers—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette—have quietly adopted AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Jasper for internal tasks without public disclosure or author approval.** Workers at all three say executives directed them to use LLMs for drafting publicity copy, back-cover descriptions, emailing literary agents, and even designing cover art. HarperCollins reportedly purchased Claude licenses from Anthropic months ago but struggled to implement them, forcing staff into mandatory

## Key points

- HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette use AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Jasper for publicity copy, emails, and cover art
- Workers say executives dismissed ethical concerns as 'the cost of doing business' and pushed AI adoption despite layoffs and workload increases
- Simon & Schuster explored Skan AI, a productivity-monitoring tool, amid employee opposition and a CEO memo denying its use

## Why it matters

Publishers’ secret AI use risks eroding trust with authors and agents while raising legal and ethical questions about transparency.

## Sources

1. [Book Publishers Are Quietly Using More AI. Staff Are Revolting](https://wired.com/story/book-publishers-are-quietly-using-more-ai-staff-are-revolting) (Wired AI, 2026-10-09)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Big Five publishers secretly use AI for emails, copy and art without author consent", 9 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/big-five-publishers-secretly-use-ai-for-emails-copy-and-art-without-au

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