New Delhi: Artificial intelligence, copyright protection, trusted content and technology-led growth emerged as key priorities for India’s publishing industry at the Indian Publishers Conference 2026, organised by the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) in New Delhi.
The conference brought together publishers, authors, policymakers, technology leaders and legal experts to examine how the industry can adopt AI while protecting intellectual property, editorial integrity and the value of original content.
AI and trusted content
A fireside conversation on “Publishing and Technology: Building the Future of Learning Together” examined the growing relationship between publishers and technology companies.
Sanjay Jain, Head of Google for Education, India, Google, highlighted the importance of trusted content as AI-generated information becomes increasingly widespread.
“One challenge with AI is the question of the sanctity of the content that the AI engine is providing. This is where the publishing industry stands out, because it brings authentic and trusted content.”
In conversation with Pranav Gupta, Vice President, Federation of Indian Publishers, Jain said collaboration between technology companies and publishers would increasingly shape the future of learning.
Copyright and licensing take centre stage
The session “Copyright, Licensing & AI: Protecting Rights and Creating Value in the AI Era” examined the implications of AI for copyright, licensing, attribution, remuneration and value-sharing.
The panel featured Divya Srinivasan, IP Attaché and Senior Intellectual Property Advisor for India, Intellectual Property Office UK, British High Commission; Rahul Goel, Partner, AnantLaw; and Nikhil Naren, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School, Assistant Director, Cyril Shroff Centre for AI, Law & Regulation, and Of Counsel, Scriboard.
Moderated by Nishtha Sharma, Research and Programme Coordinator, National Law University Delhi, the discussion also considered recent legal developments, including the ANI Media-OpenAI case, and the need for sustainable frameworks that protect creators while enabling technological innovation.
AI moves from experimentation to application
The conference also examined practical applications of AI across publishing. The session “AI as an Enabler for Publishing: How Technology Can Help Publishers Grow” explored its use in editorial workflows, translation, metadata, discoverability, marketing, accessibility and production.
The session featured Vishal Dani, Executive Vice President and Head, Business and Operations, KITABOO; Ashok Giri, Chief Executive Officer, PageMajik; and Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Managing Director, MBD Group, and was moderated by Subrahmanian Seshadari, Co-Founder and CEO, Overleaf Books LLP.
Speakers highlighted the potential for AI to improve productivity while retaining human oversight, editorial judgement and quality.
Industry calls for an AI-ready ecosystem
The need to prepare the wider publishing ecosystem for AI was discussed during “Building an AI-Ready Publishing Ecosystem: Policy, Skills, Workflows and Business Models for the Future”.
Moderated by Vikrant Mathur, Executive Director, Nielsen BookData, the session featured Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust, India; Senthil Nathan, Founder and CEO, Ailaysa Technologies Private Limited; and Pranav Gupta, Vice President, Federation of Indian Publishers.
Discussions covered workforce readiness, digital infrastructure, metadata standards, innovation incentives, emerging revenue models and stronger collaboration between publishers and policymakers.
Education growth offers long-term opportunity
Delivering the keynote address, Sanjay Kumar, IAS (Retd.), highlighted the relationship between education, technology and publishing. While printing technology has evolved significantly, he noted the continuing resilience of the book as a product.
The expansion of India’s education system and potential growth in secondary and higher education enrolment, he observed, could create significant opportunities for educational and textbook publishing.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Ramesh Mittal, President, Federation of Indian Publishers, pointed to the industry’s long-term growth potential, with rising literacy and access to education expected to support demand for books.
Opening the conference, Pranav Gupta, Conference Director and Vice President, Federation of Indian Publishers, called for a balanced approach to technological change.
“The debate is not AI versus publishing or technology versus creativity. The real conversation is about how these forces can work together responsibly.”
Technology and industry initiatives
The conference also featured presentations by Chander Shekhar, Founder, Spring Time Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd., on “THE CARAVAN: 24 Years in the Book Trade, One Relationship at a Time”, and Namita Shah, Co-Founder and Head – Product & Finance, Presolv360, on online dispute resolution for the publishing industry.
A special souvenir, “Publishing at the Crossroads: Voices, Vision & the Future of India’s Knowledge Economy”, was released in the presence of Hon’ble Mr Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Judge, Supreme Court of India, and Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust, India.
The conference concluded with a vote of thanks by Pushpita Ghosh, General Secretary, Federation of Indian Publishers.
