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The Conversation
The Conversation
Bec Kavanagh, Senior Tutor in Publishing & Creative Writing, The University of Melbourne

A New York Times critic used AI to write his review – but criticism is deeply human

Alex Preston United States The New York Times Jane Howard
Alex Preston, and the book he reviewed, with the help of AI. Hachette/Allen & Unwin

An author and freelance journalist has admitted to using AI to help him write a book review for the New York Times.

Alex Preston’s review of Jean-Baptiste Andrea’s novel Watching Over Her, published by the New York Times in January 2026, draws phrases and full paragraphs from Christobel Kent’s Guardian review. The “error” was brought to light by a reader, who alerted the New York Times to the similarities.

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