Olga Tokarczuk and the Role of Artificial Intelligence
Olga Tokarczuk, the Polish novelist, screenwriter, poet, and Nobel laureate, has stirred controversy in literary circles after announcing at the Impact'26 conference in Poznań that she used artificial intelligence while writing her new novel. The admission drew sharp criticism from several artists, including Ela Pachkovska, Zofia Galinska, Wojciech Szot, and Olena Mulyk. Tokarczuk stated that her new novel is scheduled for release in the fall of 2026 in Polish.
Ela Pachkovska described the situation as shameful, while Zofia Galinska expressed outrage over Tokarczuk’s turn to AI, using the term 'dear' in her remarks. Wojciech Szot dedicated a newspaper column to Tokarczuk, discussing her presentation, and Olena Mulyk shared her emotional reaction, noting that Tokarczuk’s interview left her devastated.
“The interview with Olga Tokarczuk devastated me. I understand that a writer who has already achieved success and solidified her status can afford such thoughts. But for me, as an author of one (so far) novel, her disillusionment with the long form and the future of literature breaks my heart.” – Olena Mulyk
Support and Debate
Among those who supported Tokarczuk were:
- Sławomir Sierakowski, who moderated her conversation at the conference,
- Ostap Slyvynsky, a poet, translator, and literary scholar,
- media manager Oksana Pavlenko.
Sierakowski issued a statement claiming that Tokarczuk’s words were taken out of context, emphasizing the importance of understanding her perspective.
Following the wave of criticism, Tokarczuk published a post clarifying her position. She stressed: “I did not write my upcoming book, which will be released in the fall of 2026 in Polish, with the help of artificial intelligence or anyone else. For several decades, I have written independently.” Tokarczuk also highlighted that she uses AI only as a tool for faster preliminary research: “I use artificial intelligence on the same principles as most people in the world—I treat it as a tool. None of my texts, including the novel coming out this fall in Polish, were written with the help of artificial intelligence—except for its use as a tool for faster preliminary research.”
This incident also reflects a broader debate about AI in literature, as around 10,000 authors in the United Kingdom have protested the use of their works to train AI. They released a book titled 'Don't Steal This Book,' which contains only a list of writers' names with no text at all. These developments highlight growing tensions within the literary community regarding the impact of technology on creativity.
The use of artificial intelligence in creative work is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in the contemporary literary world. Discussions surrounding this phenomenon underscore not only ethical considerations but also how artists view new technologies. At the same time, the reaction to Tokarczuk’s statements may reveal deep-seated fears in the literary community about preserving the uniqueness and identity of the authorial voice amid technological change.