"Flood of AI Novels Soars Judging Costs"... Japan's Newcomer Literary Awards Face Survival Crisis

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported today (August 17) that a flood of novels written using artificial intelligence (AI) in Japanese literary award competitions has caused a surge in judging costs, bringing the survival of newcomer literary awards into question.

The 14th Hayakawa SF Contest, hosted by Japanese publisher Hayakawa Shobo, closed submissions at the end of March with 1,012 entries, more than double the usual level of around 400.

While the actual extent of AI use cannot be verified, an official from the publisher estimated that at least two to three out of every ten works used generative AI.

Nikkei reported that works suspected of using AI, for instance, initially feature single-line gaps between paragraphs before suddenly shifting to a smoother writing style and losing those gaps in the latter half.

Unnecessary gaps between paragraphs are frequently seen in sentences generated by AI.

Submissions for the "This Mystery Is Excellent!" competition held by publisher Takarajimasha increased by 60 percent from the previous year to 731 entries.

Submissions increased significantly across all genres, including a 40 percent year-on-year increase for Kadokawa's light novel contest, the Dengeki Novel Prize, and a 30 percent increase for Shinchosha's Shinchou Newcomer Award.

Nikkei pointed out that an increase in the number of submissions for newcomer literary awards inevitably escalates the financial burden of the selection process.

Typically, literary awards determine winners through initial to tertiary evaluations conducted by literary critics, rookie authors, and editors, followed by a final review directly handled by well-known authors.

Considering this process, an annual increase in submissions inevitably drives up costs by millions of yen each year, leading to pessimistic forecasts that newcomer literary awards may face reduction or elimination.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.