Margaret Atwood, unworried by AI, continues prolific writing career

The author, who has written over 60 books so far, claims AI is 'not a very good fiction writer'

Canadian author Margaret Atwood speaks during an interview with Reuters in Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tom Little

Renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood, who is currently writing her memoir, said in an interview that she is too old to be worried about the rise of artificial intelligence and described herself as still having a "good time" writing.

Atwood, 84, debuted as a poet in 1961 and published her first novel, "The Edible Woman", in 1969. She has since written more than 60 books, including novels, short stories and children's books.

"I'm not a writer who exists in a state of misery and finds it terribly difficult to write. You can probably guess that by the number of books I've actually written," Atwood said. "I'm having a good time."

Atwood spoke with Reuters last week while in Denmark to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, named after the famous 19th-century fairytale writer.

She was relaxed about the impact that AI could have on her career, drawing a contrast with younger creative people.

"AI is worrying a lot of people. (...) I'm too old to get too worried about this stuff. But if I were 30, I'd be worried," she said. "If I were a graphic designer, I would be worried."

Last year, she reviewed poems and literature written by AI in her name.

"So far, AI is a crap poet. Really bad," she said. "And it's not a very good fiction writer either."

Atwood's dystopian novel, "The Handmaid's Tale", first published in 1985 about a theocratic dictatorship in the United States, saw a surge in sales following the election of Republican Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.

In 2019, she published a sequel, "The Testaments", which was the joint winner of that year's Booker Prize.

In the interview, Atwood also renewed her previous criticism of Trump, amid his current close presidential race, saying she was very concerned about what she views as his autocratic tendencies.

Her latest book, "Old Babes in the Wood", published in 2021, delves into themes of family, marriage, grief, and loss, written two years after the death of her husband, author Graeme Gibson.

Looking ahead, Atwood says:

"I love people asking me about the future. What do you have in mind? The next two years, the next five years, the next 10 years? We don't know. Well, I'm writing a great honking big memoir right now, and I'm only putting in stupid things and catastrophes because everything else is boring."