The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the publishing sector is reshaping the industry, focusing on enhancing human capabilities rather than replacing them, according to Wu Shulin, chairman of the Publishers Association of China. Wu outlined this viewpoint during his keynote address at the Fourth International Conference on Publishing Education, held at the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication (BIGC) as part of the 32nd Beijing International Book Fair, which concluded on June 21.

The conference gathered publishing professionals and scholars internationally to discuss the theme “Reinventing Reading and Publishing in the Era of Digital Intelligence.” Since 2023, BIGC has hosted the event annually, with discussions evolving from integrated development to digital intelligence innovations. Zhang Xin, Party secretary of BIGC, emphasized that the current theme captures the global publishing education community’s effort to meet changing industry demands and fulfill educational responsibilities.

Speakers underscored that despite rapid technological advancements, the core mission of publishing remains the discovery and rigorous editing of high-quality content. Gvantsa Jobava, president of the International Publishers Association (IPA), stressed that AI primarily performs statistical analyses based on existing human knowledge but cannot replicate the industry’s foundational role in evolving ideas and fostering diverse intellectual systems. She called for leveraging digital tools to improve editing, marketing, and reading experiences, while promoting cross-language communication and consistently raising publishing quality.

Supporting this perspective, Tian Zhongli, president of BIGC, highlighted the importance of transforming quality content into trustworthy and accessible knowledge resources that guide values and improve communication. He also noted that publishing education must produce versatile professionals capable of managing the entire intelligent production chain.

Addressing reading’s future, Niels Peter Thomas, CEO of the British Medical Journal Group, discussed the interplay of “form” and “content,” referencing studies on reading and brain neuroscience. He asserted that physical books will remain relevant despite generational changes, proposing the integration of virtual reality for “360º reading” experiences. Thomas suggested that technology can enhance books by optimizing both form and content to facilitate more efficient learning, while also honoring diverse reading experiences that will transform publishing processes and sales models.

Niels Stern, managing director of the OAPEN Foundation, focused on academic publishing, emphasizing that AI’s efficacy depends on access to high-quality, peer-reviewed research. He warned that excluding such material risks reinforcing “Western bias” in AI knowledge systems and advocated for greater inclusion of Chinese academic works in the global open access ecosystem to improve research credibility and collaboration.

Dominique De Roo, chief strategy officer of De Gruyter Brill, outlined two possible paths for publishing’s future: one in which AI displaces human roles, reducing publishers to logistics providers, and another where AI intensifies competition, elevating human judgment as the industry’s most valuable asset. She called for education curricula that balance technological proficiency with editorial ethics and critical thinking.

In closing, Chen Dan, vice-president of BIGC and deputy director of the Association of International Publishing Education, urged a shift in publishing education from “skills training” to “competency shaping.” He emphasized the need to build comprehensive talent development systems suited to the AI era’s demands, aiming to prepare professionals for the increasingly digitized and intelligent future of publishing.