Using the AI software, which can generate blocks of text from simple prompts, Schickler created a 30-page illustrated children's e-book in a matter of hours, offering it for sale in January through Amazon.com Inc's self-publishing unit.

“The idea of writing a book finally seemed possible; I thought I can do this says Schickler, a salesman in Rochester, New York.

Schickler is on the leading edge of a movement testing the promise and limitations of ChatGPT, which debuted in November and has sent shock waves through Silicon Valley and beyond for its uncanny ability to create cogent blocks of text instantly.

There were over 200 e-books in Amazon's Kindle store as of mid-February listing ChatGPT as an author or co-author, including How to write and Create Content Using ChatGPT, The Power of Homework and poetry collection Echoes of the Universe. And the number is rising daily. There is even a new sub-genre on Amazon: Books about using ChatGPT, written entirely by ChatGPT.

But due to the nature of ChatGPT and many authors' failure to disclose they have used it, it is nearly impossible to get a full accounting of how many e-books may be written by AI.

The software's emergence has already ruffled some of the biggest technology firms, prompting Alphabet Inc and Microsoft Corp to hastily debut new functions in Google and Bing, respectively that incorporate AI.

The rapid consumer adoption of ChatGPT has spurred frenzied activity in tech circles as investors pour money into AI-focused startups and given technology firms new purpose amid the gloom of massive layoffs. Microsoft, for one, received fawning coverage this month over its otherwise moribund Bing search engine after demonstrating integration with ChatGPT.