Daunt mentioned that the chain “will consider selling AI-generated books if there’s clear demand.” He clarified that B&N wouldn’t “ban” credible books from reputable publishers, even if they are AI-generated, as long as they are properly published, labeled, and there’s concrete evidence of customer interest, like when a customer specifically requests a title. However, he added that B&N “finds it highly unlikely that there will be significant customer interest in AI-generated books, or that reputable publishers will choose to publish them.

So, they won't ban them because they have procedures in place for selecting books and they feel confident that an AI book would not make it through the selection process. Seems to be a more nuanced response than the headline implies.