# The Dearth of the Author in AI-Supported Writing

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.10289 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.10289/

## Key facts

- Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 11 of its 28 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 16 Apr 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.02155/) (2022)
- [CoAuthor: Designing a Human-AI Collaborative Writing Dataset for Exploring Language Model Capabilities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.06796/) (2022)
- [Does Writing with Language Models Reduce Content Diversity?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.05196/) (2023)
- [Co-Writing Screenplays and Theatre Scripts with Language Models: An Evaluation by Industry Professionals](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.14958/) (2022)
- [Art or Artifice? Large Language Models and the False Promise of Creativity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14556/) (2023)
- [Co-Writing with Opinionated Language Models Affects Users' Views](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.00560/) (2023)
- [Homogenization Effects of Large Language Models on Human Creative Ideation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01536/) (2024)
- [Sparks: Inspiration for Science Writing using Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.07640/) (2021)
- [A Design Space for Intelligent and Interactive Writing Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.14117/) (2024)
- [Interacting with next-phrase suggestions: How suggestion systems aid and influence the cognitive processes of writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.00636/) (2022)
- [The Prompt Artists](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12253/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Guiding and Diversifying LLM-Based Story Generation via Answer Set Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.00554/) (2024)
- [The Great AI Witch Hunt: Reviewers Perception and (Mis)Conception of Generative AI in Research Writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.12015/) (2024)
- [Phraselette: A Poet's Procedural Palette](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.06335/) (2025)
- [Constella: Supporting Storywriters' Interconnected Character Creation through LLM-based Multi-Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.05820/) (2025)
- [LLMs Exhibit Significantly Lower Uncertainty in Creative Writing Than Professional Writers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.16162/) (2026)
- [Composable Prompting Workspaces for Creative Writing: Exploration and Iteration Using Dynamic Widgets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21394/) (2025)
- [Content-Driven Local Response: Supporting Sentence-Level and Message-Level Mobile Email Replies With and Without AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.06430/) (2025)
- [PromptCanvas: Composable Prompting Workspaces Using Dynamic Widgets for Exploration and Iteration in Creative Writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.03741/) (2025)
- [Synthetic Sociality: How Generative Models Privatize the Social Fabric](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.14090/) (2026)
- [Learning to Clarify Underspecified Intents Under Limited Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.04719/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We diagnose and briefly discuss the dearth of the author: a condition that arises when AI-based creativity support tools for writing allow users to produce large amounts of text without making a commensurate number of creative decisions, resulting in output that is sparse in expressive intent. We argue that the dearth of the author helps to explain a number of recurring difficulties and anxieties around AI-based writing support tools, but that it also suggests an ambitious new goal for AI-based CSTs.