The Authors Guild announced it has expanded its "Human Authored" certification program beyond its own membership to any author whose books are published in the United States. The organization also said that U.S. publishers will be able to purchase certifications in bulk beginning this month, and released an updated logo for the program.

The certification program, which launched in beta for Guild members in January 2025, allows authors and publishers to place a trademarked seal on books to signal that the text was written by a human rather than generated by artificial intelligence.

Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger said that since its launch last year, more than 3,000 authors have certified 5,000 titles under the program.

"It's our firm belief that reading is about human connection and readers want books that are written by humans and not computers," Rasenberger said. "Now, with AI-generated spam titles flooding the various platforms, there's growing pressure on authors and publishers to differentiate human-written work from the slop. In the absence of a ruling of some kind that would force AI-generated books to be labeled as such, this is the next best solution."

Under the guidelines for the program, a work qualifies as "Human Authored" if the text was fully written by one or more humans, with an explicit exception for AI-powered spelling and grammar tools. Use of AI for tables of contents, indexes, research, brainstorming, or outlining does not disqualify a title.

Authors who want to participate must first register at authorsguild.org/human, then submit to a third-party identity verification process, sign a license agreement, and pay a fee of $10 per title. Certification remains free for Authors Guild members, who are pre-verified. The certification applies across hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats; translations and audiobook narrations require separate certifications. Previously published books are eligible, as are unpublished works. Authors are limited to 10 title certifications per year without special permission.

Each title in the program receives a unique registration number searchable in a public database and the use of the certification mark—a stylized human silhouette encircled by the words "Human Authored" and the tagline "Certifying Human Creativity in an AI World"—on a book's front or back cover, its copyright page, and in marketing materials and book listings.

The certification is not the only program developed to give readers confidence that they are reading human-generated work. In June 2024, Created by Humans launched to offer similar self-verification and collective AI-licensing opportunities. Later that year, the company partnered with the Authors Guild, bringing Rasenberger on as an advisor. In 2025, Books by People started in the U.K., offering publishers a visible stamp for book covers, a certification ID, and a listing in a public directory.

Rasenberger acknowledged that the Human Authored program does not currently vet manuscripts themselves for AI content prior to issuing certification and noted that no reliable detection method currently exists. However, she said, the multi-step process and the fee serve as sufficient deterrents for people or companies to misuse the certification.

"It's not in the nature of scammers to put a lot of effort into things," Rasenberger said.