The Existence and Future of Marathi Literature in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Critical and Research-Oriented Study

Abstract

Whenever new technology has emerged, it has profoundly impacted all spheres of human life. The discovery of the art of writing, the development of the printing press, newspapers, radio, television, and the internet—each of these stages has brought about changes in the form of literary creation. Today, we have entered the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the impact of this technology is being strongly felt in the field of literature as well. Artificial Intelligence refers to computational systems that can think, learn, make decisions, and understand the meaning of language like human intelligence. Previously, literary creation was entirely based on human creativity; but today, computers themselves have begun to write poems, stories, essays, and dialogues. This is an extremely significant, yet equally concerning, matter from the perspective of Marathi literature. The tradition of Marathi literature is not limited merely to writing; it is intrinsically linked to the social, cultural, religious, and political fabric of Maharashtra. The saintly literature of Sant Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Tukaram, and Eknath; the historical chronicles (bakhar) of the Peshwa era; the reformist ideologies of the British period; and the modern social, Dalit, and feminist literature—through all these streams, Marathi literature has provided leadership to society.

It is before this rich tradition that the challenge of Artificial Intelligence now stands. The question is not whether to accept or reject this challenge, but rather how to understand it and how to handle it. Therefore, this journal presents a detailed, critical, and research-oriented study of the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Marathi literature, encompassing its advantages and disadvantages, usage, misuse, and future opportunities and challenges.