About the Power of Authors Symposium

ANFASA is hosting its fifth annual Power of Authors Symposium. A one-day International Symposium on Wednesday 22 April 2026 at 9:00 am virtually on Zoom.

The symposium is aimed at re-evaluating the contributions made by authors through the ages and re-examining the meaning of authorship and how it can be given its due weight and recognition. Throughout history the author has played the voice of opposition; a source of information, entertainment and wisdom; a record keeper for oral histories of various cultures and a creator of knowledge. Authors have been the bridge to society, and they have existed since ancient times. Authors have the power through their words to educate, heal and illuminate the mind.

The Power of Authors Seminar will ask: What happens to the author when machines learn to write? If AI generates a novel in your style, who owns it? and who is responsible for what it says? When your work is scraped to train a model without your consent, is that inspiration or theft? And in a world of algorithmic text, what does it still mean to be a human author? Generative AI now writes drafts, restructures arguments, summarises research, and even produces full-length novels. For authors whether fiction writers or academics this shift raises urgent questions that go far beyond technology. We will explore these questions through four interconnected lenses: the intellectual authority of the author, the nature of creativity in human-AI collaboration, the ethical frameworks we need, and the legal puzzles of copyright and moral rights that courts and policymakers are only beginning to untangle.

The one-day symposium will feature five sessions, each session is designed to explore the role of authors in society, their contributions, and how they can adapt to modern challenges while continuing to heal, transform, and inspire