The Facts
Novelist, memoirist and film-maker Xiaolu Guo will deliver the 2026 New Statesman/Goldsmiths Prize Lecture in a live stream on November 1, 2026 at 7.45pm, hosted by Southbank Centre. The event, titled "AI-esque", examines the creation of fiction in the age of artificial intelligence and is free to watch online without a ticket, available for seven days afterwards. The annual lecture series, part of the Goldsmiths Prize for fiction that breaks the mould, invites leading authors to share their thoughts on the art of the novel.
The Signal
Guo argues that the value of the novel in an AI era lies not in originality—since literature has always been shaped by history and social forces—but in a deeper human truth: a novel is a living record of lived experience that machines cannot replicate. While AI can mimic language patterns, compose symphonies and generate plausible plots, Guo contends it cannot inhabit meaning as humans do. The lecture addresses the existential threat writers and artists face as AI permeates creative life, offering a personal manifesto on retaining a sense of self as creators.
- People: Xiaolu Guo
- Museums: Southbank Centre
- Locations: London
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