https://www.404media.co/authors-are-accidentally-leaving-ai-prompts-in-their-novels/ Account * Log in * Subscribe Navigation * Home * About * RSS * Support/FAQ * Podcast * FOIA Forum Archive * Merch * Advertise * Referral Program * Thanks * Privacy Follow us Twitter Bluesky Mastodon Instagram TikTok Facebook RSS Sign in Subscribe * About * RSS * Support/FAQ * Podcast * FOIA Forum Archive * Merch * Advertise * Referral Program * Thanks * Privacy Advertisement * Go ad free News Authors Are Accidentally Leaving AI Prompts In their Novels Matthew Gault Matthew Gault * May 23, 2025 at 8:59 AM 'I've rewritten the passage to align more with the J. Bree style' appeared in the middle of a tense scene with a scaled dragon prince. Authors Are Accidentally Leaving AI Prompts In their Novels Photo by camilo jimenez / Unsplash Fans reading through the romance novel Darkhollow Academy: Year 2 got a nasty surprise last week in chapter 3. In the middle of steamy scene between the book's heroine and the dragon prince Ash there's this: "I've rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree's style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements:" It appeared as if author, Lena McDonald, had used an AI to help write the book, asked it to imitate the style of another author, and left behind evidence they'd done so in the final work. As of this writing, Darkhollow Academy: Year 2 is hard to find on Amazon. Searching for it on the site won't show the book, but a Google search will. 404 Media was able to purchase a copy and confirm that the book no longer contains the reference to copying Bree's style. But screenshots of the graph remain in the book's Amazon reviews and Goodreads page. This is not the first time an author has left behind evidence of AI-generation in a book, it's not even the first one this year. This post is for paid members only Become a paid member for unlimited ad-free access to articles, bonus podcast content, and more. Subscribe Sign up for free access to this post Free members get access to posts like this one along with an email round-up of our week's stories. Subscribe Already have an account? Sign in More like this Hacker Conference HOPE Says U.S. Immigration Crackdown Caused Massive Crash in Ticket Sales Hacker Conference HOPE Says U.S. Immigration Crackdown Caused Massive Crash in Ticket Sales One scheduled speaker has also pulled out of the New York-based event and specifically pointed to Trump's mass deportation efforts. Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * May 22, 2025 Why Does Google's New Veo 3 AI Video Generator Love This Dad Joke? Why Does Google's New Veo 3 AI Video Generator Love This Dad Joke? "I went to the zoo the other day, there was only one dog in it..." Emanuel Maiberg Emanuel Maiberg * May 21, 2025 Kids Say They're Using Photos of Trump and Markiplier to Bypass 'Gorilla Tag' Age Verification Kids Say They're Using Photos of Trump and Markiplier to Bypass 'Gorilla Tag' Age Verification Popular VR game Gorilla Tag partnered with the company k-ID to comply with age verification laws. Matthew Gault Matthew Gault * May 21, 2025 Penguin Poop Helps Antarctica Stay Cool Penguin Poop Helps Antarctica Stay Cool Penguin guano helps clouds form in coastal Antarctica, making these birds an important factor in the region's climate. Emanuel Maiberg Emanuel Maiberg * May 24, 2025 Behind the Blog: Feeling Wowed, Getting Cozy Behind the Blog: Feeling Wowed, Getting Cozy This week, we discuss the benefits of spending 14 hours a day on the internet, getting cozy for AI slop, and a what a new law in Sweden means for the rest of us. Samantha Cole Samantha Cole , Joseph Cox Joseph Cox , Jason Koebler Jason Koebler , Emanuel Maiberg Emanuel Maiberg * May 23, 2025 Pocket, One of the Only Apps I Ever Liked, Is Shutting Down Pocket, One of the Only Apps I Ever Liked, Is Shutting Down Pocket, the app for saving articles to read later, announced it is shutting down on July 8. Samantha Cole Samantha Cole * May 22, 2025 Advertisement * Go ad free Advertisement * Go ad free * Hide Unparalleled access to hidden worlds both online and IRL. 404 Media is a new independent media company founded by technology journalists Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, and Joseph Cox. * About * RSS * Support/FAQ * Podcast * FOIA Forum Archive * Merch * Advertise * Referral Program * Thanks * Privacy Twitter Bluesky Mastodon Instagram TikTok Facebook RSS Join the newsletter to get the latest updates. [ ] Success Great! Check your inbox and click the link to confirm your subscription (c) 2025 404 Media. Published with Ghost.