AI, Blockchain and

Open Source are terms which continually grab attention, but are they merely

buzzwords or will they really disrupt our industry? Ahead of our planned series of webinars on this subject, Jennifer

Schivas of 67 Bricks and Nisha Doshi of Cambridge University Press consider how

to distinguish hype from reality, and why publishers should care...

 

 

AI, Blockchain and Open Source have been generating a lot of

attention in the press over the past few years, and high profile announcements

from the likes of eLife, Elsevier and Digital Science generate a lot of

excitement, but can these technologies really

help us improve publishing processes and enhance customer experience?  Can they save us money or help us offer new

products and services to authors and researchers?  If so, how do we engage at the right level

and the right speed?  How do we ensure

the opportunity, if there is one, doesn’t become a threat?

 

 

Working at the coal face of publishing innovation means that

these are questions we wrestle with on a day-to-day basis, and when we spoke to

others at the 2018 ALPSP conference we realised we weren’t alone. Across the

industry many of us are exploring options, running pilots, launching products,

platforms and systems and putting in place strategies that utilise these new

technologies. Some are dipping their toes in the water, while others are diving

right in. However, at the other end of the spectrum there are those who dismiss

these technologies as mere trends or buzzwords: AI has been around since the

1950s afterall, and isn’t Blockchain regularly described as “just a slow

database”?!

 

 

So, who is right and who is wrong?  This debate will be at the heart of the

forthcoming series of ALPSP webinars, in which we’ll invite industry experts to

examine each technology in turn to help us separate the hype from the reality.

 

 

In each webinar we will include a short, jargon-free

introduction to the technologies and discuss examples of where they are already

being used in our industry. We’ll then assess their potential for positive

change as well as considering alternative courses of action - which could even

include “do nothing” - and look at the recommended first steps publishers can

take to begin capitalising on opportunities.

 

 

We believe that it is important for publishers to engage

with these technologies and make clear decisions with their eyes open. It is

not usually wise to invest in cutting edge technology for technology’s sake

alone, however there are ways to trial them without undue expense or risk; R&D

programmes, pilot projects or collaborative partnerships can all work

well.  We will explore how these might be

set up to test the waters and release some early benefits before making a major

investment or committing to a long-term path.

 

 

Join us to start a clear conversation and to begin to

separate the hype from the reality. You’ll come away with a better

understanding of what these technologies offer in the short, medium and long

term, how they might align with wider product, platform or technology strategy,

and if and how they might help meet customer needs. There will never be one

single answer or one size fits all… so we look forward to some lively

conversation!

 

 

To find out more about the planned webinars or to book your

place please visit https://www.alpsp.org/Webinars/What-is-Hype/62872

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Schivas Jennifer Schivas is Head of Strategy and Industry Engagement

at 67 Bricks, a technology company that helps publishers become more data

driven www.67bricks.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nisha Doshi

 

Nisha Doshi is Senior Digital Development Publisher at

Cambridge University Press, where she leads the digital publishing team across

academic books and journals www.cambridge.org