Before the advent of AI, it could take years, or even decades, for an author to turn an idea into a published book.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the publishing industry – from editing and translation to design – and its growing influence at the ongoing 77th Frankfurt Book Fair is fueling debate over efficiency, creativity, and copyright.
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At one of the world’s largest book fairs, AI has a strong presence. Many publishers are embracing the technology to their advantage, while others warn that its unregulated use of creative works could pose serious challenges to copyright protection and the broader publishing ecosystem.
EFFICIENCY ACCELERATION
Before the advent of AI, it could take years, or even decades, for an author to turn an idea into a published book. With AI-powered tools, that process is accelerating dramatically.
Vienna-based startup StoryOne says its new system can transform rough ideas into published books within an hour. The company launched its AI-assisted publishing service for non-fiction books the day before the book fair opened, describing it as “human-centric” and claiming it can increase publishing speed by 300 times compared to traditional methods.
Addressing the high translation costs and slow production cycles, UK-based GlobeScribe introduced an AI-driven literary translation service designed to cut costs and speed delivery. Although not exhibiting at the fair, the company told Xinhua it has sent a team to meet clients and potential partners.
According to GlobeScribe, its system, fine-tuned for narrative works, can boost translation speed while preserving the author’s narrative and style. Translations are typically delivered within 24 hours.
Indian company Clavis Technologies has launched new AI-based modules, including an audiobook proofing tool and automated layout solutions. Its system allows publishers to integrate AI into existing workflows without major infrastructure changes, the company said.
COPYRIGHT DISPUTES
As AI penetrates deeper into the publishing sector, ethical and copyright controversies are surging. Publishers and authors have accused some tech firms of using hundreds of thousands of books to train large language models without payment or consent. The German Publishers and Booksellers Association last year condemned the practice at the Frankfurt Book Fair as “the largest data theft in history.”
“AI has profoundly changed the world of literature and publishing,” said Wolfram Weimer, the German federal government commissioner for culture and media, in a speech at the opening ceremony this year.
Data mining, he said, is “siphoning the thoughts and talents of countless creators,” turning books into “objects of prey.”
Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, president of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, criticized the current lack of AI regulation at the opening ceremony.
“In the virtual world, a few billionaires are increasingly controlling the algorithms, deciding what content we can see. Under the guise of so-called ‘progress,’ irresponsible individuals are using these algorithms to consolidate their power,” she warned.
REACTION AND OUTLOOK
As AI tools spread across the publishing industry, some companies are looking for ways to protect and promote human creativity. In Britain, startup Books By People, working with several independent publishers, launched the “Organic Literature Certification” to label human-written books.
“Authors and publishers can now powerfully demonstrate their commitment to authentic, human-made literature. Our system keeps human creativity at the center of publishing, and in an increasingly murky AI world, readers should feel they can trust the book they’re buying,” said Esme Dennys, the company’s co-executive founder.
The rapid influx of algorithm-based writing and machine-generated content is bringing seismic changes to the publishing industry. Some publishing industry experts consider it necessary to implement stricter scrutiny on AI.
Schmidt-Friderichs stressed that the publishing world must adhere to a humanistic stance, and industry professionals can not “delegate thinking, but commit ourselves to a charter of dialectical thinking, a celebration of discourse and of being together as humans. AI should serve humans and not vice versa.”
Whether through regulation or voluntary labels, the industry is still seeking a balance between machine efficiency and human imagination, as debate over AI’s power continues unabated.
