Industry News Round-Up Week of 3/30/2026

Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our bi-weekly Industry News Round-Up. Have an item to share? Email Sierra.Pawlak@TAAonline.net.

‘Potentially Existential’: Higher Ed Denounces Proposed Federal Funding Strings (April 1, 2026)

Florida Deals Another Blow to Sociology (March 30, 2026)

Diversity Officers Gather to Grieve and Rally  (March 30, 2026)

How Companies Are Using AI to Pay Workers as Little as Possible (March 26, 2026)

White House Releases National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence (March 23. 2026)

Industry News Round-Up Week of 3/30/2026 Read More

AI Advocacy – Graphic Artists Guild Launches ‘No Artists, No Art’ Campaign

The Graphic Artists Guild has launched the “No Artists, No Art” campaign to publicize the need to protect visual artists’ rights in a generative AI environment. The campaign’s message is twofold:

  1. Without high-quality creative works to train on, generative AI will deliver poorer and poorer quality outputs.
  2. In order to have a robust generative AI economy, the rights of creators and copyright holders need to be protected.
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IBPA Compiles List of AI Tools Used By Publishers

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)’s Legislation & Standards Committee compiled a list of AI tools currently in use by publishers. Available to IBPA members only, it includes over 50 tools that can help with proofreading, image generation, manuscript evaluation, plagiarism checking, writing and posting on social media, summarizing book plots, and many more. The IBPA AI Resource Center also contains many resources such as a sample AI policy statement, and a site that helps you find out if your book has been used to train AI without your consent.

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An Interview with 2025 TAA Conference Keynote Speaker Gerald Friedland on the Future of AI and Textbook Publishing

What happens when a veteran mathematics textbook author and a leading AI scientist exchange ideas on the future of textbook publishing? In anticipation of his namesake keynote at TAA’s 2025 Virtual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference, Michael Sullivan connected with Gerald Friedland—textbook author and AI Scientist at Amazon AWS—for a thoughtful conversation on artificial intelligence, authorship, and the evolving landscape of academic publishing. Friedland will expand on these ideas in his session, “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Textbook Publishing: Opportunities and Challenges,” on Friday, June 6, from 9–10 a.m. ET.

An Interview with 2025 TAA Conference Keynote Speaker Gerald Friedland on the Future of AI and Textbook Publishing Read More

Authors Guild Releases Statement on AI Licensing for Authors

The Authors Guild released a statement on December 12, 2024 stating that they believe “it is crucial that authors, not publishers or tech companies, have control over the licensing of AI rights,” and that “Authors must be able to choose whether they want to allow their works to be used by AI and under what terms.”

The statement includes six sections, including:

  • AI Training Is Not Covered Under Standard Publishing Agreement
  • Subsidiary Rights Do Not Include AI Rights
  • Authors Retain Copyright
  • Publishers Must Seek Author Permission
  • Publisher Compensation Depends on AI Licensing Role
  • Authors Should Get Majority Share in AI Licensing Deals

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