Defend & Publish podcast host Christine Tulley interviewed Dr. Bryan Alexander, who will be giving the Michael Sullivan Keynote at the 2026 TAA Institute for Textbook & Academic Authors on June 12, about how AI is reshaping textbook and academic publishing. Alexander is a futurist, Georgetown senior scholar, offered a broad, forward-looking view, beginning with the larger forces already destabilizing higher education: shifting demographics, changing economics, enrollment pressures, and evolving cultural attitudes toward the academy. He then surveyed the technological landscape — the maturation of ebooks, the ongoing challenge of mobile-friendly scholarship, extended reality, and open access — before zeroing in on AI’s multifaceted impact. Play

The 2026 TAA Institute for Textbook and Academic Authors will be held June 12 and 13, and is aimed at providing both new and veteran textbook and academic authors a deep dive into topics such as AI and authoring, navigating DEI issues, contracts, publishing in the modern age, and more. Get $50 off registration with code DP26.