Why We Still Need Novels (Even in an AI World)

On imagination, and the irreplaceable power of longform fiction

ChatGPT/Max M. Illustration

Does the novel have a future?

It's a question that’s been occupying me lately, especially as a young author (young in the writing journey, not in life) who just published his first novel with very modest success. Is it worth honing my craft as a novelist, or should I consider a different medium for my fiction? After all, people’s attention spans are shrinking, and there is no other medium that demands more time and attention from beginning to end than the novel. Movies take two to three hours, an episode of a series half to an hour, a Youtube video or reel mere minutes.

And yet, Substacks get increasingly longer, providing lengthy essays for which not even a twenty-minute commute to work offers enough time. Podcasts often run multiple hours, with audiences happily keeping up with several episodes a week. People aren’t just skimming; they’re diving deep, when it matters.

Worldwide, we are consuming more media than ever, and still can’t keep up with all the great pieces being produced and shipped every day. With AI, the volume of content will not just increase, but literally explode in the coming decade, begging the fair question if the novel will survive. One might say that with the cost for video production in free fall, people will drop other mediums and consume video only. But then, why are audiobooks, podcasts, and Substacks on the rise, despite how easy it is to scroll through TikTok or YouTube? Not just that, the overall book market is still growing, and forecasted to continue doing so.

So what does the novel have going for it? Its depth. To start with, it leaves it up to the reader to create a world of their own. It provides a prop for imagination, but doesn’t tell the reader exactly what it looks like. In that same vein, it also allows the reader to create a personal bond with the book, where each bond is different from someone else. While viewers of a movie might also have different interpretations, they rarely differ as widely as readers’ views on a book. The novel is a medium that pushes one to go deep into character creation and world building to a level of detail that cannot be matched by visual formats. Audiobooks and podcasts can get close to this level, but they do not demand the same focus and attention from the reader, which often leads to a more shallow experience.

With AI, we might soon co-create books as we read them, just like in computer games, where the world is built and shaped by our actions. It will be interesting to see how books and games will converge in a new form where I’m both reader and player, and the AI is the writer. It will give us more control over the experience. But at the same time, the more control I have over the book’s story, the fewer surprises it holds, the less novel perspectives it will provide to me. Sometimes I want to create. Other times, I want to be taken somewhere, want to be taught, told, and entertained, without needing to act or decide anything myself. Shown a world I’d never imagine myself.

Now, a novel could be written live, with the reader involved in the creation process. But what about the magic of starting a finished piece of writing that has been reviewed many times to make the story, world, and characters as engaging as possible? Shouldn’t there always be space for books like that?

Who knows, maybe, AI will even lead to a new golden age for the novel. After all, genAI requires a strong foundation to create new content. A stellar novel could be the perfect starting point for fans to create their own fan stories with AI, engage with side characters, and explore the world in ways that no author could do within a single lifetime.

I can’t predict the future, but in the end, I believe we will still have the novel around centuries from now. AI will make it easier for anyone to write, and the novel is still one of the best forms for sharp voices to ask daring ‘what if’ questions. It’s a cultural good—a social catalyst—that has the ability to transform us like no other. As everything around us is facing rapid transformation, we need fiction to guide, inspire, and encourage us on that shift towards a better future.

I’d love to hear your thoughts: What place do you think the novel holds in our future?

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