Margaret Atwood slams AI and warns of rising censorship threats

Author Margaret Atwood has shared her thoughts on censorship, AI, and freedom of speech at the Babell Literary and Cultural Festival. The event, which runs until 29 June, hosted discussions on pressing issues in literature and technology. Atwood’s remarks touched on both the challenges and ironies of modern creative and political landscapes. Atwood described her home country, Canada, as a place largely committed to freedom of speech and thought. Yet she expressed concern about the current political climate in the United States, where her works have faced repeated attempts at banning. In 2022, 'The Handmaid’s Tale' was among the books targeted by political censorship efforts.

She also addressed the rise of artificial intelligence with scepticism. Atwood argued that AI’s reliance on scraping existing published material makes it unreliable for human use. She illustrated this point with a personal example: when she asked Anthropic’s Claude model for a spoiler about 'Father Brown', it provided an incorrect answer. Her verdict on AI was blunt—'garbage in, garbage out'.

Despite the serious tone of her concerns, she lightened the mood by joking that censorship could serve as an effective sales tactic for her books. The festival continues to offer a platform for such discussions until the end of the month. Atwood’s comments highlight ongoing debates about technology, creative integrity, and political interference in literature. Her perspective adds weight to conversations about the reliability of AI and the protection of free expression.