Artificial Intelligence and the Simulacrum in Literature

Abstract

The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of literary texts created with the involvement of artificial intelligence (AI), examined through philosophical, cultural, ethical, and literary-theoretical approaches. The aim of the research is to interpret AI-generated literature through the lens of Jean Baudrillard’s concepts of simulacra and hyperreality, as well as to explore the transformation of authorship in the age of generative technologies. The objects of analysis are two AI-assisted literary works: the Japanese short story The Day a Computer Writes a Novel and the American novel 1 the Road. The methodological framework is based on poststructuralist theory and integrates interdisciplinary research from philosophy, law, cultural studies, literary criticism, and cognitive science. The study examines models of human-AI collaboration in literary creation (curator, co-author, coordinator, scriptor) and addresses legal and intellectual property issues related to automated writing. It also analyzes cultural differences in the reception of AI literature in Western and East Asian societies, shaped by mythological and religious traditions legitimizing AI as a creative agent. Special attention is given to shifts in reader perception, the “semantic void,” and evolving expectations tied to machine authorship. The analysis positions AI literature as a simulacral textual form, replicating literary genres without ontological ties to human experience. This opens new perspectives on authorship, genre, originality, and the creative function of literature in digital culture. The study lays theoretical groundwork for future research on AI in the humanities and emphasizes the need for continued interdisciplinary investigation.