On September 9th, a signed article by internet writer and Vice Chairman of the Beijing Writers' Association, Zhang Wei (pen name Tang Jia San Shao), was published on page 13 of the Guangming Daily, sparking discussions about artificial intelligence's role in the literary world. Titled "Let AI Content Show Its Identity — Observations and Reflections Based on New Phenomena in Online Literature," the piece addresses the rapid integration of AI into creative industries.
In his article, Tang Jia San Shao notes that in recent years, he has clearly felt a chain reaction of challenges triggered by artificial intelligence. The first challenge is the frequent occurrence of AI-assisted content rewriting, with online literature being the hardest-hit sector. The second is the overflow of what he terms "AI swill," which severely compresses the space available for quality content. He reveals that with current AI tools, plagiarism has transformed into a process of "deconstruction and recombination" — where writers dismantle the framework of popular works and use AI to refill the content, generating what appears to be a brand-new article that is secretly old. The speed is astonishing, with 500 million words capable of being generated in just 48 hours.
Tang Jia San Shao argues that AI-based rewriting is essentially a systematic strangulation of the spirit of innovation. It is not "creating" but "stealing"; it is not "prosperity" but "fabrication." This damage extends beyond just the ecosystem of a single industry — it strikes at the very foundation of innovation upon which national cultural soft power depends for growth. Regarding the uncontrolled spread of "AI swill," he believes this is effectively "dumping garbage" — a flood of cheap, nutritionally empty digital waste. He describes mass-produced "digital swill" as an invisible "corrosive agent" that systematically pollutes the online information environment. Though it may appear to be merely low-quality content, it is in fact an encroachment and erosion of national information sovereignty.
To address these pressing concerns, Tang Jia San Shao puts forward three key proposals in his article. First, he urges strengthening industry self-discipline to build a solid first line of defense. Second, he calls for improving regulations and standards to clearly define legal boundaries. Third, he emphasizes the importance of focusing on adolescent protection to cut off the pollution chain. What is most urgent at present, he stresses, is filling the gap in AI labeling within the text field — making AI content "show its identity." This requires learning from the pioneering experience of the video sector and actively exploring methods to mark AI-generated text content.
It is worth noting from publicly available information that on May 12, 2026, at Peking University's "Novelists' Lecture Hall," Tang Jia San Shao had previously delivered a talk on "The Development and Current State of Online Literature" where he repeatedly touched upon AI's influence on the field. During that lecture, he indicated that the impact of AI technology shocks over the past two years has contributed to significant adjustments within the industry. He expressed the view that AI presents both challenges and opportunities for online literature — predicting that future online literature platforms may evolve into comprehensive cultural entertainment platforms, utilizing AI to rapidly transform written content into animations, games, and other formats. Despite AI's growing intelligence, he expressed confidence that AI still cannot replace human imagination and exceptional original storytelling, asserting that writers will always remain the providers of content.
According to the China Writers Association website, Zhang Wei (Tang Jia San Shao) was born in 1981 in Beijing. He began writing online literature in 2004 and joined the Chinese Writers Association in 2010. He holds the title of first-class literary creation professional. His extensive body of work includes notable titles such as "Child of Light," "The Kind Death God," "Soul of Speed," "Douluo Continent," "Wine God," "Seal of the God King," "Douluo Continent II: Peerless Tang Sect," "Tianhuo Avenue," "Douluo Continent III: The Legend of the Dragon King," "Douluo Continent IV: Ultimate Douluo," "Guarding Time, Guarding You," "Across Rivers, Qin Chuan Knows Summer," "Divine Realm Strange Domain: Peerless Pearl," "For You, I'm Willing to Love the Whole World," "Embracing Lies, Embracing You," "Ice and Snow Love Panda," and "Picturing Beijing Ridge."