At PubWest 2024 in Phoenix, the impact of generative AI on publishing dominated the conference agenda.
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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At PubWest 2024 in Phoenix, the impact of generative AI on publishing dominated the conference agenda.
A conference keynote by Ana Tomboulian and Vincent Serpico of Decision Tree AI, an Arizona-based consulting company, offered their take on how “genAI” services like ChatGPT can assist publishers to create jacket and marketing copy as well as how authors or publishers might use AI tools to conceive the continuation of a popular book series.
“The show’s closing session provided a series of short reflections on the impact of A.I. on publishing, which ranged from fearful, to hopeful, to resigned,” reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly executive editor.
The principal fear running through the conference was that AI would replace publishers and writer. Rhoni Hirst, president of Books of Discovery, a publisher of physical therapy books in Boulder, Colo., described how pirates had posted fake copies of her company’s bestselling title Trail Guide to the Body to Amazon, noting the difficulties of having it removed or otherwise rectifying the situation.
Thad McIlroy, a PW contributing editor and PubWest panelist, asserted his position that there was less need for concern than there was for publishers to embrace AI’s potential.
Every Friday, CCC’s “Velocity of Content” features the editors and reporters of Publishers Weekly for an early look at what news publishers, editors, authors, agents, and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
