The Stupidity of AI Mongers

What reader is asking for this?

The ongoing strength of print books and the possible uses of AI were among the topics discussed by HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray on December 10 at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. While sales of digital formats have grown, “the strength of print books has been surprising,” Murray said.

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The fast-evolving AI sector could deliver new types of formats for books, Murray said, adding that HC is experimenting with a number of potential products. One idea is a “talking book,” where a book sits atop a large language model, allowing readers to converse with an AI facsimile of its author. Speculating on other possible offerings, Murray said that it is now possible for AI to help HC build an entire cooking-focused website using only content from its backlist, but the question of how to monetize such a site remains.

All the various AI products are “kind of interesting, but I don’t know how you market, price, or sell them,” he said, adding that he can’t predict when these products “may move the needle on our overall economics.” Instead, HC’s immediate focus is on using AI to help its teams work more efficiently in such departments as sales, marketing, and editorial, Murray said: “We have dozens of initiatives to empower efficiency.”

Murray didn’t provide any more details on HC’s recent licensing agreement with a large tech company alleged to be Microsoft, and while he said other deals are possible, “we are an IP company at heart, founded on copyright,” he observed. “There may be other deals, or there could be lawsuits.” He was confident, however, that the explosion of low quality, AI-generated books will not pose a threat to HC’s business.

Murray also sees AI playing a potential role in increasing the number of translations HC publishes, as well as upping the count of audiobooks the publisher produces—both areas that have prompted concern from many in the business. He stressed that the majority of audiobooks HC produces will continue to use professional narrators, but that in some categories, the economics of professional narration don’t make sense, leaving AI narration a potentially attractive option.

Overall, Murray said that, while many aspects of AI still need to be explored, he believes that the technology presents “more opportunities than risks” for publishers. “We’re spending a lot of time figuring things out,” he said.

It’s like the book industry wants to kill itself.