In my last post, I shared the poem “Between the Roots” and explained how it cannot be shown to be either AI-generated or copied from an earlier source. But this naturally raises a deeper question: how do we authenticate originality in literature when machines are now capable of producing texts that look and feel indistinguishable from human writing?
We are entering an era where authorship itself—once the most basic foundation of literature—has become fluid, contested, and in need of redefinition.
The Old World of Originality
Traditionally, originality in literature rested on two assumptions:
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Human Uniqueness – Only people could create meaningfully, so every novel or poem carried a human fingerprint.
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Plagiarism Detection – Originality was tested by checking whether words or ideas had been lifted from other texts.
Both assumptions are now destabilized. AI can produce verses without human fingerprints, and it can do so in ways that elude conventional plagiarism checks.
The Problem of Proof
Here’s the paradox:
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A human writer can no longer prove they wrote something without AI.
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An AI writer can no longer be proven to have written something without a human.
This uncertainty doesn’t diminish literature—it makes it richer, but also more difficult to judge.
Toward New Standards of Authenticity
How might we preserve a sense of originality without falling into endless suspicion? Here are some possible paths:
1. Creative Provenance
Writers might record their creative process (draft notes, early versions, voice recordings) as evidence of human authorship. Just as provenance establishes authenticity for paintings, process-tracing could do the same for literature.
2. Transparent Collaboration
Instead of trying to disguise AI use, authors may begin declaring it openly:
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“Written entirely without AI assistance.”
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“Drafted with AI prompts, then revised by the author.”
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“Hybrid composition.”
This honesty shifts the conversation from proof to intention.
3. Literary Value Over Source
Perhaps originality will be judged less by who wrote it and more by how it resonates. Does the work surprise, unsettle, or endure? If so, it may not matter whether its first spark came from a human or a machine.
4. Philosophical Reframing
We may need to abandon the binary of “human vs. AI authorship” altogether. Instead, literature could be seen as part of a shared ecosystem of creativity, where tools and minds intermingle.
The Future of the “Original” Poem
In this new world, a poem like “Between the Roots” is valuable not because I can prove it is mine, but because it occupies a unique space of meaning that has not existed before. Its originality lies not in demonstrable human authorship, but in the fact that it cannot be reduced to derivation—whether human or machine.
Final Reflection
The debate over originality in the age of AI is not a crisis—it is a transformation. We may never again be able to prove conclusively that a poem was written by a person alone. But perhaps that is the wrong question.
The right question might be: does the poem open a door that no one—human or machine—had opened before?
That, in the end, may be the truest measure of originality in the 21st century and beyond.
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