Do Americans want to read AI books? [Reality checks ft. Desireé Duffy]

The latest episode of Reality checks with Brian Reitz features Desireé Duffy, Founder of Black Château Enterprises, Books That Make You and The BookFest, exploring how readers feel about use of artificial intelligence in the book creation process.

"I know what the industry is thinking about [AI], but thinking about what the average consumer feels about it, the readers, that’s where I think it’s really compelling,” said Duffy. “I don’t know if they realize or even know that AI is being used to the extent it is.”

To uncover the reality behind how US readers think about AI in publishing, Desireé Duffy and the YouGov team collaborated on a five-question survey of 1,000 Americans, covering how frequently people read or listen to books, which genres they prefer, and how they feel about authors incorporating AI into the process.

In the spirit of transparency, a principle our survey with Desireé Duffy uncovered as strongly preferred by America's readers, generative AI was used during the editing process for this article.

75% of Americans say they consume at least one book annually

Three-quarters of Americans engage with at least one book annually (75%), either through reading or listening, with half of the population (50%) reporting four or more books per year.

Gen Z boasts the highest percentage of readers overall (89%), while Generation X has the highest percentage who consume more than one book monthly (23%).

Baby Boomers show the highest proportion of non-readers, with nearly a quarter (24%) reporting they don't read or listen to any books in a typical year.

Preferred book genres by US men and women

Among US readers, commercial fiction emerges as the most popular book genre in 2025, with 49% of US readers typically reading or listening to this category.

Women show a particularly strong preference for commercial fiction, with 55% regularly consuming the genre compared to 43% of men.

Non-fiction follows closely as the second most popular category, with 47% of readers engaging with general non-fiction topics such as history, science, and current events. Men strongly overindex in this genre, with 58% saying they typical consume non-fiction books compared to 37% of women.

In her episode of Reality checks, Desireé Duffy explained the pendulum of popularity between fiction and non-fiction. “Sometimes if things are a little crazy, we’ll turn more toward comfort,” said Duffy. “They want something where they can escape and that’s where fiction will win. And when things are very active and promising, people will go to non-fiction because they want to learn things. They want self-help books or they want business books that will help them see the world differently.”

The next three most popular genres - memoirs/autobiographies, literary fiction, and business/self-help non-fiction - show a more even split between male and female readers, indicating a diverse range of interests across genders in these categories.

When is it acceptable to use AI in the book creation process?

Americans have mixed views on the use of AI in book creation. Line editing or copy editing emerged as the most acceptable stage for AI involvement, with 40% of respondents approving its use in this phase. But this also means that 60% did not think it was acceptable. A significant portion of the population (28%) specifically selected that they did not think AI should not be used at any stage of book creation.

Millennials appear more open to AI integration across various stages of the writing process compared to other generations, particularly in areas like developmental editing (22% vs 13% US gen pop) and beta reading (25% vs 16% US gen pop).

How much AI has to be used for readers to care?

While Americans have mixed views on the use of AI in book creation, they approach a consensus when asked about transparency.

Most US adults want to be informed about any AI contribution to a book's creation (56%), regardless of the extent of its involvement. An additional 19% of say they would like to be notified if AI helped with at least 10% of the book's content.

Only 24% of Americans either don't care about AI involvement or indicated they are unsure.

What happens if publishers don’t disclose AI usage in the book creation process?

An overwhelming majority of American readers report feeling less fulfilled upon discovering a book was written by AI, with 61% feeling either somewhat or much less fulfilled overall.

This sentiment is particularly pronounced in literary fiction, where 54% of readers would feel much less fulfilled if they learned the book was AI-authored.

While still significant, the negative impact is slightly less pronounced in non-fiction business, instructional, or self-help books, with 43% feeling much less fulfilled.

These findings underscore the importance of human authorship and creativity in the publishing industry, as well as disclosing AI usage when applicable.