A recent post on Reason's Volokh Conspiracy blog takes up the question of AI and ghostwriting, a topic that sits at the intersection of technology, ethics, and editorial practice. The author, who has published extensively with Wall Street Journal editorial features editor James Taranto, uses that experience to ground the discussion in concrete journalism workflows.
The piece does not appear to offer a definitive answer but instead highlights the growing ambiguity around authorship when AI contributes to text. If a human editor or writer uses AI to draft or refine a piece, who is the author? And should readers be told?
The commentary suggests that existing norms around ghostwriting—where a named author takes credit for work that may have been substantially written by someone else—are now being stretched by AI. The author's reference to Taranto implies that these questions are not hypothetical but already surfacing in major newsrooms. The piece leaves open whether new rules are needed or whether current practices can adapt.