AI is pumping out books. Are they any good?
Summary
This episode examines the surge in AI-generated books on Amazon, which tripled between 2022 and 2025. Economists Imke and Joel find that while AI boosts volume, these books generally receive lower ratings and sales than human-written ones, suggesting limited threat to authors. Meanwhile, Fodor’s Travel launches “Eugene,” a proprietary AI chatbot, to compete with generic LLMs by offering curated, opinionated travel advice.
Topics discussed
Intro: AI vs. prolific human writers
Sponsor messages: Satva, Dell, Capella
Economists study digital publishing trends
Data: Tripling of e-books linked to AI
Quality check: AI books rated lower
No breakout hits from AI slush pile
Fodor's editor on AI travel guides
Fodor's launches proprietary AI chatbot
Credits and sponsor messages
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