AI is pumping out books. Are they any good?

The rapid proliferation of large language models has triggered a tripling of new e-book releases on Amazon between 2022 and 2025. Economists Imke Reimers and Joel Waldfogel find that this surge is directly attributable to AI-generated content, yet these titles consistently underperform human-written books in both star ratings and sales rankings. While previous digital shifts enabled breakout successes, current AI-generated output largely populates the middle of the market without producing significant hits. In response to unauthorized scraping of their content, organizations like Fodor’s Travel are launching proprietary AI tools such as "Eugene." This human-backed chatbot leverages established editorial expertise to provide opinionated, reliable travel guidance, positioning itself as a high-quality alternative to the generic, mass-produced AI content currently flooding digital marketplaces.