International literary representatives and publishers have halted the global release and film rights sale of a high-profile debut novel following concerns that the author utilised artificial intelligence in its creation, per deadline.com.
The novel, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, had recently secured a two-book deal with Minotaur/Macmillan Publishers valued at $2.4 million. It was rapidly gaining international distribution traction alongside major film and television interest from talent agencies United Talent Agency (UTA) and Europa Content.
Concerns emerged regarding the authenticity of the drafting process, prompting questions over whether generative software was used during composition. Under current legal frameworks, content generated by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted, creating significant liability and ownership risks for publishers and adaptation buyers.
Independent agent Sandy Hodgman of Hodgman Literary, handling foreign sales for Europa Content, formally withdrew the manuscript from submission on July 30. In a notice sent to international partners, Hodgman confirmed that representatives could no longer authenticate the manuscript’s evolution from origin to completion, despite prior assurances from the author that AI had not been used.
Both UTA and Europa Content have ceased representation of the project. The decision leaves the commercial viability of the novel uncertain, as unresolved AI involvement presents severe legal risks regarding copyright enforcement and rights management.
The publishing and entertainment industries have tightened scrutiny around generative AI tools, as current copyright laws generally prohibit ownership rights for material produced by or amalgamated from machine-learning models.
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