How Publishing Can “Shimmr” With AI

Nadim Sadek entwines the histories of AI and book publishing to make his case that AI technologies can complement, and not necessarily replace, human authors, editors, and publishers.

“Tracing the histories of publishing and AI, Shimmer, don’t Shake argues that despite risks of negative disruption, responsible implementation of AI aligned with publishing’s core creative mission offers valuable opportunities, and the industry should embrace AI’s next wave through evolution, not resistance, to allow human and artificial intelligence to complement each other. “

At least that’s what Claude says – Claude, the AI chatbot that can digest a report or a book, then summarize it and answer questions.  Shimmer, don’t Shake human author Nadim Sadek lets Claude the machine write the closing chapter of his new book from Mensch Publishing, distilling the work if you don’t want to read it all.

Sadek, a serial entrepreneur who has worked in fields as disparate as market research and whiskey distilling, has also just launched his latest company, Shimmr.ai, a service that produces a unique DNA print for any book.  Shimmr’s book DNA becomes the catalyst for online advertising aimed at expanding the book’s reach and resonance.

“I love that what we’ve alighted upon as a business is the surfacing, the celebration, the kind of joyous manifestation of human genius, which I think too often lies shadowed in the recesses of backlists of publishers,” Sadek explains.

“There’s a huge investment in the exhibition of human creativity that just languishes in the dark too much, and I think it’s just because it’s been very hard to make it obvious to people that this stuff is available and that you can access it and enjoy it,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

“If there is a nobility to our purpose, it is the assistance of that creativity being available, coming to people’s notice, and actually ultimately matching it with their psychological profiles and preferences.”