In January, YouTuber frankie’s shelf uploaded a video titled “I’m pretty sure this book is AI slop,” referring to Mia Ballard’s sophomore horror novel, “Shy Girl.” The video, which has since garnered more than 1.5 million views, made waves online for its criticism of Ballard’s prose, suggesting it may have been written wholly or in part by artificial intelligence.
In the video, the creator asserts that “Shy Girl” follows several conventions of AI style, including “groupings of three” to describe the position of a latch on a door, the constant use of the word “sharp” and “baffling formatting” decisions.
Following the video’s publication, Ballard’s first self-published work in 2025 was pulled from shelves. The fallout may be a turning point in the publishing industry, as it is one of the first times a major publisher has cancelled a release for AI concerns.
Although several publishing industry professionals expressed concerns over AI use, a survey from the Book Industry Study Group found that among those interviewed, “45% reported experimenting with AI tools, 25% were seeking additional training and 23% had incorporated AI into existing workflows.”
Some publishers, such as Penguin and Macmillan, are among those implementing the technology, although Penguin is adamant they are “a publisher of human stories, by human writers.”
“Shy Girl,” released under Hachette Book Group in the U.K. late last year, was scheduled for a 2026 release in the United States. However, on March 19, The New York Times published an article titled “A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared.”
In it, the Times shared research from Pangram, an AI detection software company, which asserts the novel is 78% AI generated or assisted. Ballard responded, stating that while she did not use AI, an editor she hired did, prior to Hachette acquiring publishing rights.
AI detection software is still in its infancy. Many educators use software such as Turnitin to verify whether their students are using AI for their assignments. However, these tools are awash with errors and often make mistakes.
In a study published in August 2025, researchers found that while “there are useful uses for AI-output detectors, the possibility with which these detection tools misclassify original, unaided creative work as AI-generated raises significant concerns,” and that while the detectors proved useful, “none achieved 100% reliability.” Although Pangram’s findings indicate “Shy Girl” was written by AI, false positives do happen and can be dangerous for an author’s career.
Since the cancellation of “Shy Girl,” many wonder if Ballard also used AI to write her first novel, “Sugar,” or her novella, “We All Rot Eventually.” Ballard continuously denied these claims. Readers on Reddit, Goodreads and other platforms expressed frustration with Ballard’s writing, with some feeling duped for having enjoyed the book.
In the wake of the accusations, readers directed their vitriol at Ballard rather than at Hachette itself. Ballard, a self-identified woman of color, received treatment drastically different from that of white male authors. Authors like James Frey, who, in an interview with Vanity Fair, openly admitted to using AI and faced very few, if any, repercussions.
Of approximately 8,000 books of fiction published between 1950 and 2018, 95% were written by white authors. While it may be true that Ballard used AI to write her novel, she is subjected to far fewer protections and positioned to take the brunt of the blame, rather than her publisher.
On top of the AI allegations, Ballard also admitted to taking the cover art for the self-published version directly from Pinterest, without consent from the artist. With so much controversy surrounding the novel’s release, Ballard’s career may never rebound.
The novel's sudden implosion at release sets a precedent for future writers.
The future of AI in creative media is still uncertain, with many pondering questions of methods to detect unethical AI usage. Despite fans' frustrations with authors like Frey and Ballard, the question of the ethical responsibilities of publishing companies is still being asked.
