PA's Conway to chair AI panel at FutureBook conference

A headline panel on artificial intelligence (AI) will be chaired by Dan Conway, c.e.o. of the Publishers Association (PA) at the 2023 FutureBook conference. It will explore the various unanswered questions around AI and publishing, including the issues associated with copyright.

The panel will be made up of leaders from across publishing and the wider creative sector, including Brigid Evans, the director of government relations at Pearson and the chair of the PA’s AI task force. James Long, the chief operating officer at Pan Macmillan and a member of the AI task force, will also be on the panel, alongside Dan Guthrie, director general at the Alliance for Intellectual Property, and Emily Guille-Marrett, who is chief operating officer and head of content at Pickatale and a PA AI task force member. 

Conway said: “We are at a pivotal point when it comes to AI development and its impact on our sector. As an industry, we are all united behind the need for transparency and government action to safeguard the value of human creativity through intellectual property protections. I look forward to convening this panel at FutureBook, to not only address some of the big outstanding questions, but also the potential benefits AI can bring to publishers of all shapes, sizes and specialisms, if used correctly.”

Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller, added: "As a sector we need to be across the developments in artificial intelligence, and talking with each other about what they mean, so that we can respond as one creative industry. I am delighted to see the PA curating such a high-level panel for FutureBook this year. This will be one of the must-watch sessions of the day."

FutureBook will be held on 27th November at County Hall in Waterloo, London, and has a special focus on AI. It will feature decision-makers and speakers from across publishing, bookselling, tech and more, for a day of keynotes, panels and conversations. Tickets can be booked here.