More than half of new US books now contain AI-generated elements
Recent international studies show that generative AI is speeding up the production of new titles, as authors and publishers are using the technology for research, editing, translation and even for generating complete texts. As a result, the supply of books has increased sharply, ABN Amro noted in a market study. Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Minnesota estimate that more than half of new American book titles now contain AI-generated elements.
The rapid rise of AI is raising new questions about copyright and the economic position of writers and publishers. Generative AI models are trained using large quantities of existing texts that are protected by copyright. This has sparked legal debates worldwide about the extent to which authors and publishers must give permission for this, or should be financially compensated.
Although AI is already strongly influencing the production side of books, the way in which readers consume books remains largely unchanged for the time being. The printed book is still dominant, despite the rise of e-books and audiobooks. Even so, AI may also herald a turning point for the book market on the consumption side.
AI makes a dialogue with a source, such as a book, not only possible but possible at scale. For instance, anyone can have access to a personal AI tutor based on the preserved works of Plato, who, despite his objections, did leave behind many writings.
Because the printed book still forms the foundation of the book market. According to ABN Amro, the ‘printed’ share of unit sales in 2025 is around 86% (excluding textbooks). This is, incidentally, an estimate, because public data on audiobooks via subscription services are not available. Measured in terms of revenue, the share of printed books is even higher, because they are generally more expensive than e-books and audiobooks.
In the United States, often a frontrunner in terms of media consumption, the revenue share of the printed book market has hovered around 80% for years, as shown by figures from the Association of American Publishers. The key question is therefore not whether print will remain, but how digital will develop alongside it.
E-books and audiobooks offer clear practical advantages. In combination with an e-reader, it is possible to take hundreds of e-books on holiday. The screens are easy on the eyes and have integrated lighting. Digital bookmarks and a search function make it easy to navigate within the e-book. Audiobooks add flexibility to this. They are easy to listen to on the go or while exercising. In this way, ‘reading’ can be fitted well into a busy life.
Experience
The strength of printed books lies more in the experience. Readers appreciate the feel of paper, turning the pages and even the smell of a book. Research by the University of Tokyo using MRI scanners suggests that different processes in the brain are active when reading on paper compared with reading on a screen, which is associated with deeper understanding and better memory for the content. At the same time, the printed book is a possession that is displayed on the bookcase, a signal of identity and status. And from a practical perspective, paper always works – even without power. The printed book therefore remains attractive in a digital age, precisely because of the old-fashioned, analogue and direct character of the reading experience.
Almost half of readers limit themselves to paper. A slightly smaller half read in a hybrid way, so both paper and e-books and/or audiobooks, with the balance between these three forms varying. Only 2% of all ‘readers’ listen exclusively to audiobooks, while 5% of all readers read only e-books. This emerges from a survey by NielsenIQ commissioned by Netherlands-based Stichting Marktonderzoek Boekenvak (SMB) among 1,200 readers, that is, people who ever read a book, digitally or in print.
Digitalisation therefore does not displace paper, but expands the choice for readers. New readers, however, are scarcely being tapped; the percentage of non-readers even rose slightly in 2025 to 17%. Existing readers are, however, partly switching to digital forms. The share of readers who say they read only printed books has therefore decreased, from 53% in 2020 to 46% in 2026.
Despite this development, the physical bookshop is still holding its own surprisingly well. Around 55% of book sales in the United States and Germany are still made in physical stores.
Emerce
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers