In August 2025, a biography of journalist Kashmir Hill appeared on Amazon without her knowledge, mixing publicly available facts with fabricated details and generic observations. The 90-page hardcover, priced at $26.99, was one of thousands of AI-generated books that have flooded the platform, often targeting journalists and public figures.
Hill learned of the book through a text from an acquaintance. She found the title-"The Biography of Kashmir Hill"-on Amazon, published under a name she didn't recognize. The author, John Crane Miller, described himself as a "seasoned biographer and cultural analyst" on a profile page that used a stock photo of a white man in a suit speaking at a conference. The book contained no original reporting and never contacted its subject.
The biography drew on widely available information, such as where Hill grew up, and padded it with vague statements that could apply to anyone. "You cannot understand Kashmir Hill without understanding her contradictions," the book reads, alongside a lengthy, inaccurate description of her coffee-making ritual. Hill's husband makes the coffee. The prose was littered with em dashes, a pattern common in AI-generated text.
Miller published 10 biographies in a single week, all about journalists, including New York Times reporter Mike Isaac, The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, and CNN's Jake Tapper. Amazon's recommendation algorithm then surfaced another prolific author, Diane W. Gray, who released 60 biographies last summer. Her subjects ranged from Joe Rogan to Celine Dion to Italian soccer star Paolo Maldini. One of Gray's books had a single, one-star review that read, "A.I. SLOP. DO NOT BUY."
Dan Rather's surprising reaction
The former CBS anchor Dan Rather also discovered a biography of himself written by Gray. He posted about it on Facebook in August 2025, saying the author had never reached out to him. Unlike Hill, Rather said he read and enjoyed the book. "The book is available on Amazon for anyone interested," he wrote, declining an interview about the experience.
Why this matters for writers
AI-generated biographies pose a direct challenge to authors who rely on research, interviews, and editorial judgment. The books mimic the form of legitimate work while offering no factual accountability, and their presence on Amazon makes it harder for readers to distinguish between human-authored and automated content. As AI-generated content becomes more common on platforms like Amazon, writers can benefit from training on AI tools, such as AI for Writers. Understanding how these systems produce text helps writers protect their work and signal quality to readers who are increasingly wary of algorithmic output.
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