It seems that Apple Books is facing a similar issue with knockoffs as Amazon does.
Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal reports that imitation AI books based on her work continue to appear on the platform.
Apple Books has traditionally been seen as a cleaner alternative to Amazon’s Kindle Store. However, a recent investigation suggests it may be facing similar issues with AI-generated low-quality content. In a recent YouTube Shorts video, Stern disclosed that her book has been frequently impersonated by fake, AI-generated versions on Apple Books, despite efforts to report and remove them.
Stern notes that these counterfeit copies consistently re-emerge.
As mentioned in the video below, Stern found several AI-generated books imitating her work on Apple’s digital marketplace. These fraudulent titles used her name, duplicated the cover art and descriptions, and were convincing enough that unsuspecting readers could easily confuse them for legitimate publications.
Additionally, Stern points out that even after Apple removed some of the fake listings, new ones promptly appeared to take their place. This ongoing situation resembles a digital game of whack-a-mole, indicating that simply deleting fake books is insufficient if new AI-generated editions can be uploaded just as easily. She also mentions that this problem is not exclusive to Apple, as Amazon’s Kindle Store has been dealing with similar AI-produced imitations over the past year.
AI has simplified publishing, but it has also made duplication much easier.
Interestingly, the issue does not lie with AI itself, but with how effortlessly it allows for the mass production of convincing books that mimic real authors. Digital bookstores were developed on the premise that publishing should be accessible, but generative AI has significantly reduced the barriers for malicious users seeking to inundate marketplaces with low-quality or entirely fraudulent content.
Now, both Apple and Amazon are confronted with the same dilemma: how to keep their platforms open to genuine independent authors while simultaneously preventing AI-generated impersonations from slipping through. If these platforms cannot stay ahead of the issue, readers may soon start questioning whether the book they intend to buy was genuinely written by the named author or merely generated by a chatbot leveraging someone else's name.
Other articles
Locating Android apps on the Google Play Store has become significantly simpler with the introduction of Gemini.
Google has introduced the Google Play connected app for Gemini, enabling users to find apps, make specific purchases, and acquire Play gift cards through AI.
The BIS cautions that a collapse in AI could impact credit markets as severely as the financial crisis of 2008.
In its annual report, the Bank for International Settlements identified systemic risks related to AI capital expenditures, circular financing agreements, and inadequately disclosed asset pledging.
Researchers developed an AI therapist that analyzes data from your smartwatch and earbuds to identify signs of distress before you seek assistance.
The UbiMyTherapist program at the University of Ottawa utilizes heart rate, speech tone, and text data from wearables to create a digital twin and provide proactive mental health assistance.
California will impose a tax on downloaded software for the first time as a component of a $351.7 billion budget agreement.
California's revised budget expands sales tax to include downloads of prewritten software, projected to generate $900 million for the state. A proposed ballot measure aims to preserve the gains from AI IPOs.
Baidu's semiconductor division, Kunlunxin, is aiming for a $50 billion IPO in Hong Kong and has requested investors to purchase its chips.
According to The Information, Kunlunxin requested IPO investors to also agree to buy its AI chips. In the first half of 2026, Hong Kong generated nearly $44 billion from share sales.
The leaked motherboard of the iPhone 18 Pro suggests an upcoming cooling enhancement from Apple.
A recent leak suggests that Apple's A20 Pro chip might have a revamped design aimed at improving thermal performance, but there are many reasons to be doubtful.
It seems that Apple Books is facing a similar issue with knockoffs as Amazon does.
Joanna Stern notes that unauthorized AI-generated versions of her book continue to show up on Apple Books, which underscores an escalating issue with digital bookstores.