Publishers must remain steadfast in the face of the onslaught from tech companies who are happy to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive volume with disregard for copyright. Tech companies that use the “shiny and the new” are a danger to traditional publishers who have a responsibility to uphold trusted content. This was the central concern expressed by the panel at the session on global trends at the London Book Fair.
The session was packed, with a queue snaking down the gallery of London’s Olympia.
YS Chairman of the Association of American Publishers said: “Free is very alluring until we get burned. Publishers must remain steadfast and there should be a platform which says ‘This is trusted content’. But it’s a long journey, a marathon, and publishers need to stay strong.”
Fellow panellists Karine Pansa, CEO of the International Publishers Association; Ricardo Levi, president of the Federation of European Publishers; and Lawrence Njagi, president of the African Publishers Network, all agreed. Pansa said: “Our content is being used without permission. We need to shout about the value of our content more. We need to give more credit to ourselves as an industry.”
They were speaking on the day after the Princess of Wales admitted she had edited the family photograph that was released to the media, putting issues of trust and truth high up the news agenda.
