Brief
Canada will not issue ISBNs for primarily AI-generated books
Library and Archives Canada now makes authors declare a human wrote the book. Grammar and formatting help is allowed. Generated text, art, or translation is not.
Why it matters. A free Canadian ISBN is no longer a rubber stamp if the manuscript is mostly machine-made — and the policy is still under review.
ISBN Canada’s own guidance, updated this week on the Library and Archives Canada site, says that by registering you declare the book was created by a human author. AI may be used only for limited support — brainstorming, grammar, or formatting. You must not use AI to generate the text, create the artwork, or translate the book. The agency will not issue ISBNs for works whose content is primarily generated by AI, and it says the policy is under review.
Dale Roberts flagged the change in his 17 September news episode, alongside Spotify’s AI audiobook tools. This does not bind Amazon KDP, which still assigns ASINs whether or not you hold a Canadian ISBN. It does bind anyone who wants a free LAC ISBN for print, library, and Ingram-facing metadata. If you publish from Canada, read the About ISBNs page before you apply; if you already hold numbers on AI-heavy titles, do not assume they will be reissued.