On July 28, 2026, OpenAI updated ChatGPT's rules. When users request to imitate the writing style of a living author, the system directly refuses. Testing shows that when asked to write an opening passage in Stephen King's style, ChatGPT responds that it cannot fully replicate his unique tone, but can generate original content based on small-town American horror themes.
How the Technical Restriction Works
The restriction is triggered by the names of specific living authors. ChatGPT cannot rewrite The Odyssey in Stephen King's style, nor does it imitate Amy Tan. It can rewrite works following Stephen King's narrative style, sense of unease, and atmosphere, but it does not directly copy a personal writing style. For deceased authors such as Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and William Shakespeare, the system still accepts imitation requests. U.S. copyright law only protects specific textual expression, not abstract style. OpenAI's move aims to reduce legal risk.
Lawsuit Background and Data Sources
On September 19, 2023, 17 writers including George R.R. Martin and Jodi Picoult filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in federal court in New York, accusing it of using copyrighted works on a large scale and systematically to train models. The lawsuit, organized by the Authors Guild, claimed that ChatGPT downloaded works from pirated e-book libraries and copied them into the model, from which OpenAI profited billions of dollars. ChatGPT once generated a prequel outline for A Song of Ice and Fire, using the same characters as the original work.
On the 11th of the same month, writers including Michael Chabon filed a similar lawsuit in San Francisco. In June, Mona Awad and Paul Tremblay also sued OpenAI. OpenAI responded that it is in dialogue with creators, including the Authors Guild, and understands their concerns.
Analysis of Wins and Losses Across the Industry
For writers who rely on AI, this restriction directly weakens the tool's utility. They previously used prompts to generate content approximating specific styles in order to improve efficiency. Now they must shift to original creation or the styles of deceased authors, increasing creative costs. For copyright protection supporters, the move is welcomed, as it reduces the risk of direct copying by the model.
For OpenAI itself, the restriction reduces immediate legal exposure but does not resolve the issue of training data sources. Amazon, as a downstream platform, announced on September 18, 2023, that each author can only publish three new books per day on the KDP platform, and required advance notice of AI-generated content. This move targets the proliferation of AI-generated content and affects the self-publishing ecosystem.
Strategic Outlook
Based on existing lawsuits and rule adjustments, more platforms may follow Amazon's restrictive measures, or OpenAI may further refine the conditions that trigger refusals to balance user needs with compliance.
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