My AI forecast for 2025

At the end of November, 2022, "Mass AI" launched. It was evident the world was about to experience consequential, material change.

In the subsequent two years, there’s been dizzying development. There are plenty of models we can all access via the favoured "chat bot" experience like ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude by Anthropic, Le Chat by Mistral, Jais by Inception AI and Poe by Quora, which even allows users to switch between underlying models like Llama by Meta. Other notable platforms, such as Perplexity (with customisable Pro subscription models), Gemini by Google and DeepSeek by DeepSeek AI, further expand these options. Despite this diversity, "ChatGPT" has become the generic name for the entire category.

Other than these easily-accessed interfaces to AI, there’s been staggering impact from the technology. Diseases are being diagnosed and treated faster and better, wars are being waged more cunningly and impactfully, education is pivoting to new models championing critical thinking rather than knowledge-retention, and everywhere you look, from agriculture to transport to mental health counselling, AI has already become a key component of how many industries operate. Even if you deliberately try not to use it, the technology is embedded almost everywhere, from the Office suite of software you might use, to your video-conferencing and even how you improve your golf-swing or find new books to read.

AI is a fact of life. And it’s a fact in publishing.

We’ve already seen it streamlining processes, from legal contracts and royalty payments, to manuscript qualification and editing, warehousing and distribution becoming more sustainable. Largely, it’s been impactful in the area of "business efficiency". As time moves on, I’m sure it’ll become more recognised as a positive force in creative emancipation.

We’ll see authors embrace it as a creative partner, as properly remunerative and copyright-respectful systems are established between publishers and technology firms, allowing them to avail of its ability to riff and iterate, to indefatigably play a back-and-forth game of evolving conceptualisation and expression. I seem always to have to say this: no, I don’t think getting AI to write books is a good idea at all – they’ll be dull and soulless. But that clichéd use-case is the least interesting of the many positive ways in which AI can be incorporated into the work of authors and publishers.

AI will go beyond analysing existing data and start predicting cultural shifts and emerging reader preferences.

Let’s think about some of the bold and exciting developments we’ll see in publishing, in 2025, with incorporated AI.

AI-created interactive and immersive books: AI will usher in a new era of storytelling by creating dynamic, interactive books that adapt to readers’ choices. Imagine a novel where the plot changes based on your decisions or a history book that includes interactive timelines, videos, and personalised narratives. These immersive experiences will redefine how we consume stories and educational content, blurring the lines between books, games and multimedia.

Predictive content creation for emerging trends: AI will go beyond analysing existing data and start predicting cultural shifts and emerging reader preferences. Publishers could release books tailored to future societal concerns or interests before they become mainstream. This proactive approach could position publishing as a leading force in cultural innovation rather than a reactive industry.

AI-generated author avatars: By 2025, we could see the rise of AI-powered author avatars that engage directly with readers. These avatars could host virtual book signings, provide insights into their "creative process" or even co-create stories with readers in real-time, creating a deeper connection between authors and their audiences.

Greater accessibility innovations: AI-driven tools such as translation, adaptive text-to-speech, and voice synthesis are bringing literature to wider, more diverse audiences. AI translation allows readers around the world to access literature from other cultures, even if the translations aren’t perfect. The accessibility it provides opens up a wealth of voices and perspectives to global readerships. Similarly, AI-driven voicing of audiobooks is enabling publishers to bring every book to life in audio format. Though not flawless, the immediacy and quality of these technologies make them invaluable in broadening access. Furthermore, these developments create space for premium editions – translations and narrations by humans – adding depth and diversity to publishers’ catalogues while catering to varied reader preferences.

Personalised publishing models: AI will enable fully personalised books, tailored to individual readers in real-time. Whether it’s a romance novel with customisable protagonists or a non-fiction book that adjusts its tone and depth based on the reader’s expertise, this bespoke approach will revolutionise how content is consumed, making every book a unique experience.

Far from being a threat to creativity, AI is proving itself as a collaborator and enabler within the publishing industry. It’s helping us reach new audiences, tell more diverse stories, and operate more sustainably. As we embrace 2025, let’s celebrate these advancements as opportunities to reimagine what’s possible in publishing – with AI as an ally in our quest to connect stories with the world.