Frequently asked questions

Generative AI is a new reality that publishing can’t ignore. SCBWI has a responsibility to its members to learn about the technology and how it affects the organization. We want our policies to reflect what publishers want, which is human-created work. Also, GenAI trains itself on scraping copyrighted work of children’s book creators without consent or compensation. Our goal is to stay a trustworthy resource, and that means keeping our policies aligned with today’s publishing standards.

“‘Human Authored’ means that the text of the book was written by a human and not generated by AI, with the exception of minimal uses such as AI applications that check spelling and grammar or for research.” We find this Author’s Guild statement from its Human Authors Certification program is an excellent guide.

Yes, it does. Plotting, character building, and revising your work are core creative parts of writing a book. To give that over to GenAI shortchanges your ideas and your distinctive human touch.

If the story analyzers do not suggest actual text, then using them doesn't violate our policy. We suggest you check your exclusive member resource, the Essential Guide to Publishing for Children, which includes human freelance editors who can help you work through your challenges with feedback that’s nuanced like only a real person can give you.

We caution members against using GenAI for query letters or synopses when submitting to publishing professionals. Many publishers have their own rules against accepting materials created this way. If you submit your query or synopsis into GenAI, there’s the possibility that your work will be scraped. Also, submitting a synopsis to SCBWI that has been written or altered by GenAI is not permitted.

SCBWI exists to support the people who create books for young readers. Our policy states, “... [G]enerative AI developers train their systems on human-made work, unethically using and copying this work without regard for copyright, credit, or compensation.” That’s not how we believe the work of authors, illustrators, and translators should be treated, whether you're self-publishing or pursuing traditional publishing. We believe in your skills and talents, and our policies reflect that confidence.

SCBWI is a community of tens of thousands of wonderful children’s book creators, and we trust our members. We’re giving everyone the opportunity to voluntarily remove any GenAI created art from the gallery by December 31, 2026.

Member profiles aren’t specifically covered under our policy, though we still encourage you to stay away from using GenAI in this instance, too. Our policy focuses on words or illustrations created for books for young readers, along with submissions to SCBWI awards, grants, and more. You can find more detail in the full policy.