AI and Book Publishing: the Industry Associations
The AI-related activities of many of the prominent publishing trade groups appear mainly to be adding their voices to the chorus of the copyright-concerned.
The Association of American Publishers “filed reply comments in the U.S. Copyright Office inquiry into the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence (AI)...” The U.K. Publishers Association notes that “it is of the utmost importance that the Government puts in place tangible solutions as soon as possible to protect the human creativity and knowledge that underpins safe and reliable AI.”
On the other hand, the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), with more than 600 members, offers AI guidance and training to its members, including its “Practical Guide to AI in Publishing,” conducted by a noted AI and publishing expert, George Walkley.
Here in the U.S., I was privileged to be part of the Book Industry Study Group’s (BISG) AI Working Group, which reports to the Workflow Committee. The Working Group has outlined several potential strategic initiatives:
Best Practices and Standards Development: Recommending best practices related to AI usage, linked to ethical guidelines, existing regulations, and laws. This includes transparency in AI-generated content and its disclosure to consumers.
Industry Surveys and Definitions: Conducting surveys to gather broad industry insights on current and potential AI uses and establishing clear definitions and scopes for what AI means within the context of book publishing.
Periodic Reporting and Reviews: Offering periodic reports to help the industry foresee and adapt to the rapid changes brought about by AI technologies.
Other writing and publishing associations are trying to get in front of the topic. Some take stands in opposition to AI; others are just trying to help their members understand the technology and, perhaps, to experiment with it.