AI will transform publishing for the better

• Publishers are “uniquely placed” to combine human skills with the advantages of Artificial Intelligence (AI). 
• Two thirds of large AI-active publishers reported that their AI investments are already generating benefits.  
• Publishing has two years to create the right policy landscape to maximise benefits of AI before parts of the industry fall behind.  

A new report from Frontier Economics highlights the huge importance that AI will have to the UK’s publishing industry, showing that while use of AI is still in its relative infancy in publishing that the industry is at a watershed moment. 

People plus Machines: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Publishing, which was commissioned by the Publishers Association, finds that two thirds of large AI-active publishers reported that their AI investments are already generating benefits. Half of this group reported they were already benefitting in terms of being able to protect Intellectual Property. More than two in five also reported that AI provided them with a competitive advantage and better strategic insight.  

Stephen Lotinga, Chief Executive of the Publishers Association, said:  

“We are reaching a pivotal moment within the UK’s publishing industry. AI is presenting exciting opportunities for publishers and it’s encouraging to see the benefits already being reaped by some. With changing processes and products comes the important question of how the law will interact with AI. We look forward to engaging with the government on this, particularly the importance of robust Intellectual Property policy.” 

Annie Callanan, Chief Executive of Taylor & Francis and President of the Publishers Association, said:  

“Publishers are uniquely placed to combine the essential human skills required in the publishing process with the advantages of AI. This report clearly outlines the transformative effect that AI is already beginning to have and the window of opportunity that exists for our industry.” 

Case study: McGraw Hill 

Education publisher, McGraw Hill, has invested in AI technology for two AI-assisted platforms. This is driving significant wider benefits for both educators and learners. These benefits include increased engagement, improved study time effectiveness and higher quality learning resulting in deeper understanding and improved recall rates. Educators benefit from saving time and can therefore use their classroom time more effectively. They can also access improved student progress analytics, enabling them to quickly spot trends that may take longer to feed through in larger classes, or quickly identify struggling students.  

You can read a summary of People plus Machines: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Publishing here.