‘I Like My Big Rat Wife’: Meet the People Using Chatbots to Write Custom Fiction

While the traditional publishing industry remains concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on professional authorship, a growing number of readers are bypassing conventional channels to create personalized literature. By leveraging large language models, these users are generating custom fiction tailored to their specific, often niche, interests. This trend highlights a shift in how consumers interact with generative AI, moving beyond simple utility to explore creative expression and escapism. As users experiment with prompts to craft narratives featuring unique characters and scenarios, they are effectively becoming co-authors of their own digital libraries. This grassroots adoption of AI tools suggests that the future of storytelling may be increasingly decentralized, with readers prioritizing highly personalized content over mass-market publications. The phenomenon underscores the versatility of current chatbot technology and its capacity to cater to diverse, idiosyncratic creative demands that traditional publishing models often overlook.