63rd edition 13- 16 April 2026 | Bologna - Italy
63rd edition 13- 16 April 2026 | Bologna - Italy
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is certainly transforming the publishing industry, reshaping how books are written, edited, marketed, and distributed. Publishers are also using AI to analyse market trends, predict bestselling genres, and tailor content to reader preferences, which arguably will lead to a more data-driven approach to book production.
In partnership with Shimmr AI, we have created the second summit, on this ever-important topic. It looks ahead to the next chapter of AI in publishing, from agentic systems across the publishing workflow and data-driven decision-making, to rights, licensing, and the growing role of intelligent creativity. It is designed to inspire, educate and empower publishers in an era defined by AI. Creativity, operations, and reader engagement will be transformed across the industry: this summit will offer a blend of visionary insights, practical strategies, and actionable tools tailored to the needs of publishers navigating the evolving landscape. AI is transforming publishing from intuition-led to evidence-informed. The Summit features an international line-up of publishing and AI leaders from across Europe, the UK, the US, and India.
AI Summit, 14 April 2026 - BolognaBookPlus Theatre
09:30 Welcome and Keynote
AI as the New Apex of Human Creativity\ Speaker: Nadim Sadek, Founder & CEO of Shimmr AI and author of “Shimmer, don’t Shake” and “Quiver, don’t Quake”, two best-selling guides on AI
09:50 Creation: Agentic Systems Across the Publishing Workflow
Searsha Sadek, Chief Product Officer, Shimmr AI; Sara Lloyd, Group Communications Director & Global AI Lead at Pan Macmillan (UK); Njål Hansen, Founder & CEO, Beat Technology (Norway); Mauro Morellini, CEO at Morellini Editore (Italy), manager of Extended Book, partner in Punto Media, councilor Gruppo Varia, and member of Commission for Innovation
10:20 Predictive Publishing: How Data is Rewriting Decision-Making
Moderator, Samir Patil, Founder and CEO Scroll Media Inc. India; Gavin Marcus, CEO & Co Founder, Storywise, Israel; Arsim Shillova, CEO, Libraro, UK
10:50 Curating Truth: Publishing’s Responsibility in the Age of AI-Generated Content
Senja Požar, Managing Editor, JAISD & International Projects Coordinator, IRCAI (International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO) (Slovenia), in conversation with Nadim Sadek
11:10 Control, Compensation & Creative Rights in the Age of AI\ Moderator, Regina Brooks, CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency | President of the Association of American Literary Agents | Producer of People of Publishing Conference | Publisher | Author | Publishers Weekly Notables 2024 (US); Piero Attanasio, AIE, Member IPA Copyright Policy Committee, Italy; Rafal Kosik, BolognaBookPlus Author Ambassador; Friederike Fuxen, Rights Manager, dp DIGITAL, Germany.
11:40 The Business of Intelligent Creativity
Interview with Big 5 Executive in discussion with Emma House, Director at Oreham Group (UK)
12:00 End
