Joe Hill is apprehensive about what lies ahead.
The horror writer’s sentiments regarding technology, particularly AI, are clear in both his novel King Sorrow and his regular updates on Threads.
Hill’s latest book tells a sweeping tale over a decade about six friends who enter into a dreadful agreement with a dragon. Although it may not seem like a story engrossed in technology, there are references to social media and tech magnates — including multiple mentions of Elon Musk — scattered throughout.
Mashable engaged with Hill to discuss his troubled relationship with technology and why AI raises specific concerns for him.
“It’s merely a part of the overall decay, in many respects. These tech firms are led by multi-billionaires who possess more wealth than some countries. Individuals like Elon Musk,” Hill states. “None of these individuals truly adhere to laws since when you’re that wealthy, you simply create new laws if you disapprove of the current state of affairs. Or at least, that’s the cynical view I hold. There’s a slightly more hopeful side of me that believes they might face consequences eventually.
“But these individuals are indifferent to what they disrupt. They continuously launch one poor, irresponsible, addictive tech product after another into the global market and, as long as it profits them, they seem unconcerned about the fallout.”
When discussing artificial intelligence specifically, Hill critiques OpenAI’s Sora app, introduced in 2024, which can create AI videos from text prompts — and its sequel, Sora 2, released in 2025, has resulted in an explosion of AI videos circulating on social media.
“OpenAI launched a video creation tool, which is inevitably going to result in a flood of misinformation during every election,” Hill asserts. “You know, videos of individuals expressing things they never said and performing actions they never did, and Sam Altman and his team just kind of shrug and claim, people will adapt. Seriously, what kind of mindset is that?”
The creative sectors have faced a fraught relationship with AI in recent years. Streamers and studios have been criticized for opting for AI instead of compensating human workers, while authors — including prominent figures like George R.R. Martin — are currently litigating against OpenAI for copyright violations. (Note: Ziff Davis, the parent company of Mashable, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging infringement of Ziff Davis copyrights during training and operation of its AI systems.) Animation studios such as Studio Ghibli and video game publishers like Square Enix have insisted that OpenAI cease training Sora 2 on their intellectual property.
Hill’s father, renowned horror author Stephen King, penned an essay for The Atlantic where he discussed his own “dreadful fascination” with the concept of AI crafting fiction. That was published two years ago, however, Hill believes his father’s perspective has evolved since then.
“I don’t think he was aware at the time that they had pilfered 80 of his titles, which they had literally downloaded from pirated websites like any thief. And I think that may have been a bit of a shock for him,” Hill remarks. “You know, all this software is constructed on colossal foundations of theft, to say nothing of the significant environmental damage.”
Hill perceives AI in its present state as a sort of autocomplete — something that produces what it assumes is the most likely subsequent sentence. It does concern him for future artists, but he doesn’t think it will replace genuine artistry.
“I believe there will forever be a demand for humans conveying their thoughts to other humans through their diligently developed craft,” he comments. “Not by entering a prompt.”
King Sorrow is currently available in bookstores and online retailers.