Since the beginning of the 21st century, online literature and art have gradually evolved into cultural phenomena that can no longer be overlooked. Many scholars have continued to advance along the path from “bits” to “AI,” exploring the intersection of technological revolution and literary evolution—work that offers valuable theoretical resources for analyzing the theories and criticism of online literature in the AI era.

AI creation

With the rapid spread of the internet and the widespread use of digital communication tools such as mobile phones, various forms of online literature have emerged, including web novels, mobile phone fiction, blog writing, computer-generated works, cyberpunk novels, and multimedia and hypertext literary experiments. Issues such as “text” versus “hypertext,” “writers–readers” and interactivity, as well as the limitations and pitfalls of “hypertext,” have gradually become frontier topics in the field of AI creation, in which humans and machines collaborate.

In the AI era, with the widespread adoption of AI writing tools, online literary creation has shifted from an “author-centric” approach to a “human–machine collaborative” model. Machine algorithms can not only generate plotlines based on user reading data but also simulate the writing styles of different authors, enabling what amounts to the “mass production” of creative works. Some platforms leverage AI to analyze vast quantities of user preferences and organize targeted content creation, resulting in articles with exceptionally high click rates. This trend of “data-driven creation” has become increasingly unstoppable. As story structures and character settings evolve into calculable models, the production of online literature is transforming into a battleground in which algorithmic and emotional logic collide.

AI-generated content requires sustained critical vigilance. The “optimized narratives” produced through data training may give rise to a homogenization crisis in writing. With AI’s involvement, innovation in online literature faces the risk of being diluted by algorithmic recommendation systems. In response, online literary criticism must sharpen its ability to distinguish between “genuine innovation” and “pseudo-individuality.” Many AI-generated works may conform to traffic-driven logic yet lack the deep social insights that human creators bring. Such works, even when they achieve high levels of “traffic,” cannot be considered good literature. In light of AI’s intervention, online literary criticism must redefine the “artistic value standards” of online literature by establishing new evaluative dimensions that balance data efficiency with humanistic depth.

Online literary criticism

Online literature in the AI era is undergoing a methodological revolution. Literary criticism in this field must bridge the divide between the humanities and technology. Critics need to adapt to evolving modes of creation by strengthening both their humanistic literacy and technical competence. They should be able to analyze the emotional depth and value orientations of AI-generated texts using traditional methods of literary criticism, while also leveraging data-visualization tools to decode the algorithmic “preference codes” embedded in these texts. At the same time, critics must avoid falling into the traps of “sentimental consumption” and “traffic-first” logic that characterize much online literature. Online literary criticism should therefore foster a sustained dialogue between technological rationality and the humanistic spirit, preventing technological hegemony from eroding literary diversity.

Contemporary research on online literature is inherently dialectical. Scholars recognize that technology has diversified literary creation, while also warning against the dilution of the humanistic spirit that may result from unreflective uses of technology. As AI becomes the “infrastructure” for the creation and dissemination of online literature, theory and criticism must adapt to the changing times by promoting the integration of technological development and humanistic values. Algorithms should function as tools for expanding the boundaries of literature, rather than as cages that “discipline” creativity. Only by maintaining a balance between technological empowerment and humanistic reflection can online literary creation and criticism make meaningful progress toward the AI era—appreciating the narrative spectacles woven by algorithms while also affirming the emotional warmth and intellectual sharpness unique to humanity.

Zheng Wei is an associate research fellow from the Institute of Literature at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.