A Japanese writer won the country’s top literary prize – then admitted to using ChatGPT to write a part of the book. Rie Kudan was recently awarded the Akutagawa Prize for her sci-fi novel Tokyo-to Dojo-to (Tokyo Sympathy Tower), which is about a tall prison tower. Judges allegedly called her novel “almost flawless.” During her acceptance speech, Kudan shared that a part of the novel had been written by ChatGPT.

“This is a novel written by making full use of a generative AI like ChatGPT, and probably about 5 per cent of the whole text is written directly from the generative AI,” Kudan said, according to The Japan Times. “I would like to work well with them to express my creativity.”

She said that in her daily life, she consults with ChatGPT about issues she feels she cannot talk about with others. “When the AI did not say what I expected, I sometimes reflected my feelings in the lines of the main character,” she said.

The Akutagawa Prize has been awarded since 1935 and is Japan’s top prize for literature. It is awarded semi-annually to talented up-and-coming writers.

Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/2024/01/20/japan-chatgpt-author-winner/