Library and Archives Canada limits ISBNs for AI-made books

Library and Archives Canada has changed its ISBN policy to limit registrations for books and other content that is primarily generated by artificial intelligence, Global News reported Thursday.

The policy, last revised Oct. 9, applies to text, illustration and translation. Eligible Canadian publishers can still request a free ISBN for printed books, ebooks, audiobooks and educational or instructional DVDs, but registrants must declare that a human wrote the publication.

AI tools may be used only for limited support tasks such as brainstorming, grammar checks or formatting, according to the agency’s guidance as described by Global News. The agency says it is reviewing the policy and the guidance may change. An ISBN is an identifier used by booksellers and libraries and does not provide copyright protection.

“By registering with ISBN Canada, you declare that your publication was written by a human author,” the agency says on its website, as quoted by Global News.

The Canadian Authors Association said in a statement Thursday that it applauds the change but called it “only a first step.” The group said it is waiting for details on how the agency will verify self-declarations and what penalties might apply.

The Association of Canadian Publishers said the policy is aligned with its values. It said it does not support using AI to replace or substitute for human creative work and cited a flood of low-quality, AI-generated books. It hopes the policy will reduce fraud.

The move comes as Ottawa has yet to update copyright law for unlicensed AI training. The federal government’s first AI strategy, released in June, did not address copyright, Global News reported. Parliamentary Secretary Taleeb Noormohamed said work is continuing, pointing to conversations between AI Minister Evan Solomon and Culture Minister Marc Miller, and told Canadians to “stay tuned.”

Earlier this month, a group of Canadian news publishers moved to sue Anthropic over what they allege is the unlicensed use of copyrighted content to train its models. The allegations have not been tested in court. Global News said it had not received a response from Solomon’s office before publication.

Our earlier report on Ottawa’s plans on AI and copyright sets out how the question has played out in Ontario courts.

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Source: Global News, Oct. 22, 2026.