This robot-written novel almost won a literary award

NEW DELHI: If Microsoft and Facebook working on bots to interact with users in future were hard to digest, then imagine a future in which computers pen customized novels as per readers. A Japanese artificial intelligence program reportedly co-authored a short-form novel and cleared the first screening test of Japanese literary prize- Nikkei Hoshi Shinichi Literary Award. But the novel couldn’t win the award.


Automation is risking many jobs in almost all sectors. However, artificial intelligence taking over writers is something no one would have ever imagined to happen so early.

According to a report by The Japan News, the contestants at its press conference in Tokyo made the announcement, highlighting the capabilities of AI. One of the novels ended with the sentences “Konpyuta ga shosetsu wo kaku hi” or the day a computer writes a novel.


Nikkei Hoshi Shinichi Literary Award accepts entries from non-human beings. However, this was the first time the panel had received submissions from AI, the report said.

The team was headed by Future University Hakodate professor Hitoshi Matsubara. The program required details of the novel like plot, characters, etc to be fed in beforehand. It then compiled the story following the set parameters.


The report further highlighted that there were 11 AI-written novels out of around 1,450 entries. There is a four-stage selection process and one of the AI-written novels had passed the first stage. The panel had little clue that robots could be used to write novels as well.