Authors Face Backlash Over 2022 Google AI Study

Thirteen authors who participated in Google’s 2022 Wordcraft Writers Workshop are facing public criticism. The research project involved testing an experimental writing interface powered by LaMDA, the large language model that later contributed to Google Gemini. Participants were placed under nondisclosure agreements and tasked with writing short stories over an eight-week period.

The controversy emerged in August 2026 after the project was shared on social media. The workshop involved 13 writers.