Through self-publishing, authors all over the world are now able to share their work with the public without going through the traditional gatekeepers of the publishing industry. But the self-publishing platform Booksie has embraced blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) as the sector attempts to keep up with modernization.
Booksie founder and CEO Sol Nasisi discussed his vision for the future of self-publishing, which is based on the potent fusion of two cutting-edge technologies, in an interview. It’s not entirely new for the publishing sector to consider using blockchain technology. Blockchain for Books, an awareness campaign regarding the possibilities of blockchain technology in publishing, was started in 2018 by the Alliance of Independent Authors. The outcome was a manual titled Authors and Blockchain. The shared public ledger at the center of a blockchain network can serve as a tool to help writers take back control of their creations and obtain important information as more of the conventional web is hidden behind “walled gardens,” blockchain can provide authors with an extra avenue for book sales, according to Nasisi.
“With genuine ownership, rare books in limited editions, and chances for book collectors and resellers to participate in external marketplaces, the blockchain [creates] a new digital book production and purchasing experience.”
Blockchain gives creators the ability to safeguard their creations and provides transparency in addition to financial gains.
According to Nasisi, “the transparency and immutability create a way for an author to prove they created the work.” This is especially important in a world where concerns about AI-generated content are growing. Over the past year, accessible AI has gained popularity and been incorporated into company processes across nearly all global industries. But authors have already voiced complaints about technology that they claim is using their works illegally. Author Sarah Silverman sued Meta and OpenAI in July for training their AI systems without authorization by exploiting copyrighted content.
The Author’s Guild sued OpenAI in September 2023 on similar grounds, claiming that the company had improperly used copyrighted content to train its AI algorithms.
Nasisi emphasized, nonetheless, that authors can employ AI as a tool rather than having it replace them or take advantage of their labor. “We would never want an AI to write a story for a writer.”
He explained that the purpose of creating Booksie’s AI bot integration was to support authors who offer criticism on both fiction and non-fiction pieces.