Artificial intelligence is making its presence known in nearly every industry, and writing is no exception. For many writers, this shift has been unsettling. Some have already seen a decline in work, and many more anticipate that opportunities will continue to disappear.
This information is based on a study conducted by Gotham Ghostwriters and Josh Bernoff of 1,190 writing professionals and 291 fiction authors.
AI can be helpful to writers across the board for things such as search, titles, outlines, and idea generation. The problem is that it’s being used as a replacement for human writing to create books.
And that’s where the real problem begins.
The Hidden Problems with AI-Generated Content
At first glance, AI-generated writing may seem competent, even impressive. But beneath the surface, there are serious issues that writers, publishers, and especially children’s authors shouldn’t ignore.
1. AI Hallucinates
AI gathers information from cyberspace, including vast amounts of unverified and private data. One of its most well-known flaws is ‘hallucination.’ It produces information that is inaccurate, misleading, or entirely fabricated.
If AI can’t find reliable information, it may simply invent it.
Far worse than that, once this incorrect information enters cyberspace, it can linger, be picked up by other prompts and queries, and be used as valid information.
Oh boy. That can be a dangerous feedback loop.
2. Nothing AI Produces Is Truly Original
AI does not create in the human sense. It trains on existing content: books, articles, blogs, and websites written by real people.
When you give AI a prompt such as “Write a story about a ballerina reaching her goal,” it doesn’t imagine a new story. It assembles patterns from what others have already written.
It doesn’t go beyond what already exists. Its use of existing content raises serious ethical and copyright concerns.
AI systems are not transparent. Writers have no way of knowing whose work has been gathered and reshaped to generate the content requested.
This lack of transparency should give any author pause, especially if planning to publish.
3. AI Is Limited to What Has Come Before
AI is a machine. While it can generate text and images, its output is fixed within the boundaries of its training data. -It does not invent. -It does not discover. -It does not push storytelling into new territory. -It recombines what already exists.
WHAT AI LACKS MATTERS WHEN WRITING CHILDREN'S FICTION
Perhaps the most significant weaknesses of AI become most obvious in children’s literature.
Imagination Is Missing
Albert Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Einstein’s quote is especially significant when writing for children. Writing for young readers is about sparking their imaginations. They want to be taken on an adventure, explore new worlds, be swept into the protagonist’s world...
If imagination is lacking or mechanical, young readers won’t get to where they want to be (to where they should be)—lost in the story.
Thinking Outside the Box Is Missing
AI follows patterns, but children’s stories thrive when those patterns are bent, stretched, or broken in surprising ways.
Quirky characters, unexpected solutions, and playful language are often what make a story memorable. Those elements rarely emerge from machine-generated text without heavy human intervention.
Compassion and Empathy Are Simulated—Not Felt
AI does not have emotions. It does not feel compassion, empathy, fear, joy, or hope.
Yes, it can simulate these qualities because it has been trained on human writing that expresses them. But simulation is not the same as understanding.
Is that enough, though? Is it enough when your goal is to teach a child about kindness, perseverance, honesty, friendship, or courage?
That’s a question every children's author must seriously consider.
Confidentiality Is Missing
Confidentiality is a major concern for ghostwriters.
Anything entered into an online AI tool may be used for training unless strict safeguards are in place. If the platform you’re using doesn’t guarantee strong security and regulatory compliance, confidentiality agreements will very likely be thrown out the window.
For professional writers, that’s not a small issue; it’s a deal breaker.
Summing It Up
As a children’s ghostwriter, nearly every client I work with wants to pass on a meaningful lesson. It may be about strength, honesty, sharing, kindness, perseverance, work ethic, or something else.
AI can assist in small, controlled ways. It may help with brainstorming or refining a scene. But relying on it to generate an entire children’s story is risky.
There are too many concerns: • Hallucinated information • Ethical and copyright issues • Lack of imagination and emotional depth • Security and confidentiality risks
If you’ve created a children’s story using AI and plan to publish it, I strongly recommend having it professionally reviewed first. AI alone is almost never good enough.
If you’d like to discuss your story, email me at kcioffiventrice@gmail.com
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. I can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be the author of, one that’s publishable and marketable.
