RECENTLY, my timeline was flooded with stories about artificial intelligence (AI) giants purchasing books, scanning them and then destroying them. Is this really the first time such a thing has happened? Whether it is the Mongols destroying Muslim prowess in science and literature during the siege of Baghdad in the 13th century or the Nazi book burning of the 20th, things have not been easy for books. In this day and age, AI might be the new ‘enemy’ at multiple levels. Nerds like me feel for the books. It was a revelation for me recently that J.R.R. Tolkien’s original version never made it to print. And, no, AI had nothing to do with it.

Come to think of it, the original thoughts of most authors hardly ever manage to reach the public. There is a whole profession called the editorial board in print. Unfortunately, I have left the age of naivety to know the drivers behind all sorts of editorial boards, and the fact that no one can escape them. Whatever articles or books we read, do we ever get the full version or the originally intended piece by the author?

A story surfaced recently about Polish author and Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk seeking AI’s help in terms of ideas for possible use in her writings. This is just one admission. Imagine how many more are out there. We may appear to be wasting our ability to think, but, like any boom, this, too, will find a way to fade away. Eventually original thought will find a way back. We must trust the potential of the human mind.

Saman Hamid
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2026