Books from a text vending machine? Where we stand in book production

Artificial intelligence has begun to impact the writing and illustrating of books. Operating largely independently, AI by now already supporting the writing of both fiction and non-fiction. This article examines the impending change in the literary fiction sector and the significant attendant change in the roles and institutions involved. I outline recent developments, illustrating these with examples of current technical possibilities, and consider an emerging world in which even creative processes are taken over by machines.