There are far more people employed in publishing today than at any time in history, and that is because of technological advance, not despite it.
I was delighted to hear from Bonnier UK today regarding my calling they and Pan Macmillan “Luddites” following a report in the UK trade journal The Bookseller that asserted both publishers had issued directives not to publish anything created by AI.
Bonnier UK told me today: “That’s absolutely not the case, we have issued no such guidance.”
In that July 27 post on TNPS I wrote that (The Bookseller journalist Lauren) “Brown reminds us that Pan Macmillan and Bonnier Books UK are among publishers who have made a conscious decision not to publish AI-generated books, reflecting a worryingly Luddite mood among traditional publishers who as so often are more interested in defending the status quo than taking the industry forward.”
It seems The Bookseller later corrected that report to reflect Bonnier UK’s position, but as of my quoting Brown the erroneous statement was still live.
However, it would seem the Brown report was accurate in stating Pan Macmillan’s position on AI.
In The Bookseller on June 6 Pan Macmillan CEO Joanna Prior is quoted as saying, “We have produced a set of people-centred principles to steer our engagement with these emerging technologies, including that we do not intend to publish AI-generated books.”
“Produced a set of people-centred principles?“
Well, you have to admire the alliteration.
How about “Looney Luddites likely to be left behind?”
That said, there are of course genuine issues of concern around AI in publishing, and people are certainly among them, but this blunt statement rather ignores the reality that AI does not operate in a vacuum.
It takes people to use AI to create these books, and AI is providing new jobs in publishing for those willing and able to move with the times. Provided they are not breaching IP law or otherwise abusing authors or their works then Pan Macmillan really needs to think through its knee-jerk response and consider how its books are published today.
Or do the Pan Macmillan team, while waiting for the postman to deliver the latest batch of handwritten manuscripts, think books are still printed with highly-skilled guys with tweezers moving metal type into position for each page?
There are far more people employed in publishing today than at any time in history, and that is because of technological advance, not despite it.
Kudos to Bonnier UK for understanding that.
