Workers tell WIRED that NOA—or “No Ordinary Assistant”—was unhelpful. Bestselling authors also say AI is ruining their relationships with Big Five publishers.

Photo-illustration: Jacqui VanLiew; Getty Images

As staff at the Lower Manhattan headquarters of Macmillan Publishers headed into work one morning in January 2024, they filed past something strange on the walls—flyers welcoming a new member of the team named “NOA.” The cafeteria was festooned with purple balloons and banners, according to several workers present, and with NOA’s name in light-up marquee letters. A plate full of doughnuts spelled out “NOA IS HERE.”

NOA was an acronym for No Ordinary Assistant, which many of Macmillan’s human assistants found “offensive,” multiple employees tell WIRED.…