Andy Weir Warns He May Be Among the Last Fully Human Novelists
In a recent interview, Andy Weir says the rise of AI could make his generation the final one of wholly human writers.
Andy Weir, the author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary, said in a recent interview that he might belong to the last generation of fully human writers. Speaking to SlashFilm, he said, “I think it’s only a matter of time… I’m lucky that I ended up being a writer right when I did, because I might be among the last generation of fully human writers.”
Weir’s tone was not wholly bleak. He framed AI as a tool, noting that other technologies have already outpaced human ability—race cars for speed, forklifts for strength—and placed AI in the same category. “It’s a tool that we can use and we can unplug when we don’t want to use it,” he said. “In the end, if I give you a hammer, you can build a house or you can murder someone. It’s not the tool that’s the issue; it’s the user.”
When asked about his own work, Weir confirmed that AI will feature prominently in his next book. In a 2024 interview with The Bridge, he said, “I’m working on my next book now. AI plays a significant role in it. But I’m doing it my way, not writing a story about robots falling in love or anything. Writing a story that involves AI is kind of in my wheelhouse because I know how computers work. And I know more about machine learning than most fiction writers, I think. So yes, I’m having some fun with that.”
Weir’s comments come as the broader creative industries continue to grapple with AI’s role, but his focus remains on how the technology will shape his own storytelling.
