As of July 2025, our policy on AI tools and Large Language Models (LLMs) is as set out below. This is a rapidly changing environment, and so we expect to have to review and renew often.
Use of Authors’ Work by AI
We have spoken out already in objection to the use of Tramp Press books and books by any author or publisher whose permission was not sought by companies training LLMs. The harm has been done: authors were not offered compensation for the use of their work. Silicon Valley companies have benefitted from the risk-taking work of authors who were supported with funding from Ireland’s Arts Council. AI models have been able to grow quickly on a foundation of this egregious plagiarism.
We’d like to draw your attention to a petition over at this link:
The petition was organised by Conor Kostick of the Irish Writers Union, calling on the Irish government to play its part in protecting its citizens from massive copyright infringement by large tech companies using copyrighted material to build AI/ language models.
If you’re wondering whether Meta (to name just one) has used your work or the work of an author you admire, there’s a searchable database here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/search-libgen-data-set/682094
We do not give consent for Tramp Press books to be used for such training without permission.
Use of AI by Authors
When it comes to the use of AI and LLMs by authors we are working with or who are proposing work to us, our current policy is as follows:
It is understandable that AI can be used as a tool for research, managing some ‘busy work’ that, in theory, frees people to pursue real creative ambition. This industry has, for many years, benefited from spellcheck and pre-emptive grammar assistance in certain word-processing applications.
We draw the line at creative writing that has been generated by AI/LLMs. Even if you have asked your LLM to re-draft and have taken something of an editorial role in the generation of a text, it’s not interesting beyond that novelty. We value original creative writing, and don’t want to waste time sorting through the output of a plagiarism machine when we’re asking ourselves if yours is a book we want to invest time and resources in, to bring to our trusted readers and to stand alongside the exceptional talent we have had the privilege to publish already.
As has been stated before: don’t ask people to read something you couldn’t be bothered to write.
We are grateful to the authors we get to work with, (some who still use long-hand!) who take all the time it takes to write brilliant, original stories and to share insights into their creative process with us. A cool part of this job is that we’re often sent praise and feedback from readers to forward on to those authors. People thank them for articulating grief, fear, joy, envy or for making them laugh with recognition. The common denominator is humanity.
Team Tramp