Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Virtual Worlds: The Impact of Converging Technologies On Authors and the Publishing Industry

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Virtual Worlds

The Impact of Converging Technologies on Authors and the Publishing Industry

Joanna Penn

Contents

Introduction

1. Writing in the age of AI

2. Copyright law, Blockchain for smart contracts, and micro-payments

3. AI-assisted translation

4. Voice technologies, streaming and subscription audio

5. Virtual worlds and augmented reality

6. Global, digital, mobile: A wave of new writers and readers

Conclusion

Afterword

Appendix 1: Bibliography

Appendix 2: Links by Chapter

About Joanna Penn

More Books And Courses From Joanna Penn

Acknowledgements

Introduction

People are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown. But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes.

Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

2016. Alpha Go, DeepMind’s AI, beat world champion Lee Sodol at the game of Go. One move was so shocking and original — and beautiful — that many saw this as the moment when AI truly moved into the creative realm.

2019. Go champion Lee Sodol retired from the game, saying, AI cannot be defeated.

2020. A Chinese court granted copyright protection to written work generated by an AI writer.

Artificial Intelligence is already embedded in much of our daily lives and it's increasingly moving into realms that impact authors and the publishing industry. Ignoring it or denying its potential power will not make it go away. We need to embrace the opportunities and engage in conversations around possible threats in order to reinvent our industry for a very different future.

The pandemic of 2020 has accelerated converging technologies and changed human behaviour across the globe to favour digital business models.

In this book, I discuss current technological and societal trends and consider the opportunities for authors and the publishing industry over the next decade.

Why this book now?

I sit in the overlap between the creativity of authors, the business of publishing, and the technology of artificial intelligence. I remember when Alpha Go beat Lee Sodol. I watched his face as realisation dawned and I began to devour books, podcasts and articles on AI and its impact on my industry.

I’m an independent author and creator — I write thrillers as J.F.Penn, and non-fiction under Joanna Penn. I’m also a podcaster, business owner, tech enthusiast, and amateur futurist.

I spent thirteen years as a management consultant implementing IT systems, working for companies like Accenture and Cap Gemini in the UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Part of my job was Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). I would assess the current state business model and design future state processes to improve efficiency. I worked with programmers to implement those ideas, designing interfaces with external systems and configuring software to meet business needs.

I’ve also run my own businesses for the last twenty years, and in the last decade, I’ve grown my author business on the back of emerging technologies. I’ve sold books in 159 countries and they are available in ebook, audiobook, paperback, hardback, and large print editions. My award-winning podcast, The Creative Penn, has been downloaded over five million times in 223 countries. My business is global, digital, mobile, and scalable by design.

I am usually early in adopting technologies that relate to authors and the publishing industry. I first self-published in 2008, back when it was considered ‘vanity’ instead of a savvy business decision by an empowered creative entrepreneur, and before the Amazon Kindle brought ebooks to the masses. I started my podcast in 2009, a decade before the big money entered podcasting, and publishing acknowledged its important role in book marketing.

As a writer and a reader, as