'People will always be interested in people': Chetan Bhagat on why AI can’t rival real storytelling

Offering advice to aspiring writers, Chetan Bhagat said the fundamentals of writing would remain constant despite the presence of advanced tools.

Author Chetan Bhagat said that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and language-based tools would not replace fiction writers, asserting that technology may replicate skill but not the emotional depth that defines art. He was speaking at the launch of his latest novel, 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story, at a bookstore in Pune on Sunday evening, where he was in conversation with socialite and venture capitalist Tehseen Poonawalla.

When asked whether generative AI could disrupt creative professions such as his, Bhagat said that fiction depends on emotional honesty that cannot be manufactured by algorithms.

“When people ask whether AI or ChatGPT will affect my profession as an author, my answer is: it won’t—at least not for fiction,” he said. “AI will have a skill but not an art.”

The writer explained that true storytelling emerges from genuine human experiences.

“AI hasn’t had its heart broken. My heart was broken. ChatGPT doesn’t have childhood trauma. I do. I’ve had breakups. I’ve felt love. I’ve lived through highs and lows. And what works in books is the ability to transfer those real feelings to readers. If you don’t feel anything yourself, fiction won’t work,” he said.

Bhagat added that people connectto stories because they connect to people, a dynamic he believes technology cannot replicate.

“In general, people are interested in people. Why are we talking here? Because you have a certain way of speaking, and I like that. If both of us were replaced by bots, they’d talk about everything—from nuclear science to space to politics—but who’d want to sit and listen?”

He challenged the suggestion that AI could ever fully replace human creativity.

“Tell me a single book that was written by AI,” he remarked. “People will always be interested in people. These models can handle administrative work, but they cannot bring true emotion into writing.”

Bhagat further commented that even if AI were to develop the ability to mimic emotions convincingly, audiences would still recognise the absence of authenticity.

“Even in the future, if AI learns to imitate emotions, the moment people know something was written by AI, they’ll stop reading or watching it,” he said.

The bestselling author, whose novels have inspired several major Bollywood adaptations, maintained that artistic creation stems from observation, discipline, and lived emotion — qualities that machines cannot replicate.

“AI will have a skill but not an art,” he reiterated.

Offering advice to aspiring writers, Bhagat said the fundamentals of writing would remain constant despite the presence of advanced tools.

“Certain things will not change — your ability to observe people, your ability to read and write, and most importantly, discipline, hard work and focus in writing,” he said.

Discussing his new release, Bhagat described 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story as a modern romantic narrative centred on a 33-year-old divorced man and a 21-year-old woman.

“It is based on the complexities of relationships and is relatable to both Gen Z and millennials, with the female protagonist representing Gen Z and the male protagonist representing millennials,” he explained.