Reimagining books with AI: untapped business potential

In an era where digital transformation touches every aspect of our lives, books—those enduring repositories of human knowledge and creativity—have remained largely unchanged in their fundamental form. Lukasz Gandecki's presentation on reimagining books through AI opens a fascinating window into how artificial intelligence could revolutionize our relationship with written content. His vision goes far beyond simple digitization, suggesting instead a complete rethinking of how we interact with and extract value from books in the age of AI.

Key Points

• Traditional books represent untapped potential for AI transformation—they contain structured knowledge that could be unlocked in new, interactive ways rather than remaining static text
• AI can convert passive reading experiences into dynamic conversations with book content, allowing readers to query information, explore tangents, and personalize their learning journey
• The technology stack for book reimagination already exists, combining large language models, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), and vector embeddings to create responsive knowledge systems based on book content

Expert Analysis

The most compelling insight from Gandecki's presentation is the concept of "books as APIs"—treating books not as static products but as interactive services that respond to user queries and adapt to individual needs. This represents a fundamental shift in how we conceptualize books, moving from consumption objects to dynamic knowledge interfaces.

This matters tremendously in our current business landscape where personalization and just-in-time knowledge access drive competitive advantage. As organizations struggle with information overload, the ability to quickly extract relevant insights from trusted sources like books—without reading them cover to cover—could dramatically accelerate learning cycles and decision-making processes. For publishers and content creators, this approach opens entirely new revenue models beyond one-time purchases, potentially transforming books into subscription-based knowledge services with ongoing value.

Beyond the Presentation: Additional Perspectives

While Gandecki outlines an exciting vision, he doesn't fully address the significant copyright and economic challenges this transformation presents. Traditional publishing relies on controlling access to content, with revenues flowing from unit sales. Converting books to AI-powered knowledge systems disrupts this model entirely. Some forward-thinking publishers like O'Reilly Media have already experimented with subscription-based digital libraries that incorporate some interactive features, but full AI integration requires rethinking rights management and compensation structures for authors.

The education sector represents