The original artworks were created by Paul Young, represented by Artist Partners, who is also the copyright owner of his work. With his permission, they have been slightly animated to bring the images to life. The sole purpose is to give the viewer and prospective reader of the Aletheia books a sense of time and place that is ancient Rome, and her rule over an ever-expanding empire that was fraught with dissent and turmoil. The consequence of resistance was often fatal. The artworks themselves depict seminal scenes from the story with which readers will become familiar.

It was important for the author that the artwork for his novels were original pieces, in exactly the same way that the written word and storytelling ought to be—deep from the imagination, from the mind’s eye and the well that is human creativity. That said, there is no escaping the monumental impact AI is having and will have on the arts among so many other aspects of life as we know it. What we see. How we communicate. The way we prefer to be engaged. The trick will be in how one maintains a sense of authenticity, originality and distinctiveness that defines what each one of us stands for. AI might create a plethora of enabled individuals, but that does not mean imagination has become democratized. What it does mean is that we now have boundless opportunities to reach and connect with ever more readers and lovers of the written word. That cannot be a bad thing so long as we respect original work.

Audio books is a great example. AI can now easily turn a 600-page novel into something you can listen to in the car on the way to work, or on the beach whilst catching some sun. You can have it in any tone you like and with a voice of your choosing, some even with the prerequisite sound effects in the background. Great. Stories and storytelling enhanced and in a format that works for many. But whose voice? Sean Bean’s? Gwyneth Paltrow’s? Yes, why not, if we have their consent and they have some form of recompense in exchange. It’s their voice AI is imitating after all!