According to a survey by the Swedish Publishers' Association, most Swedes are negative towards books created wholly or partly by AI. The survey, based on 1031 online interviews with people aged 18-84 conducted January 12-16, 2026, found that 40% of respondents are very negative and 25% are fairly negative towards AI-generated books. Only about 3% are positive, with 0.6% very positive. The strong opposition cuts across demographics, with marginal differences by gender, age, and education.
Young adults aged 18-29 show polarized views, being both more negative and more positive than the average. Among this group, 72% are negative (compared to 65% overall) and 5% are positive (compared to 3% overall). The reasons behind this polarization are not specified in the survey.
I think it shows that the book has a very high status and reading is something you want to engage in.
The survey also examined reading habits. It found that 71% of respondents want to read more than they currently do. However, the main reasons for not reading more are lack of time and prioritizing other media. Mikaela Zabrodsky, CEO of the Swedish Publishers' Association, said at a press conference that the results show the book has a very high status and reading is something people want to engage in.
Reading motivations are primarily relaxation and entertainment, rather than learning or self-improvement. The survey also found that frequent audiobook listeners read fewer physical books. Zabrodsky added that while people often talk about how useful reading is, it is important not to forget how fun it is and how fantastic it can be to take part in literature.
People talk a lot about how useful reading is, but you must not forget how fun it is and how fantastic it can be to take part in literature.
The survey did not specify which AI tools or methods were referenced. It also did not compare attitudes towards AI literature with attitudes towards other AI-generated content. The margin of error for the survey has not been disclosed. It remains unclear what actions, if any, publishers are taking in response to these attitudes.