Nigel Newton, the publisher’s founder and chief executive, said while the technology can support almost all of the creative arts, it would not have the power to replace big names.
“I think AI will probably help creativity, because it will enable the eight billion people on the planet to get started on some creative area where they might have hesitated to take the first step,” he said.
Referring to writer’s block, he explained: “AI gets them going and writes the first paragraph or first chapter and gets them back in the zone. It can do similar things with painting and music composition and with almost all of the creative arts.”
Newton, who signed JK Rowling to the publisher in the 1990s, acknowledged concerns that AI could be used to write entire books, saying that would be a “problem”. But he stressed that, ultimately, readers want to read books penned by well-known writers.
“We are programmed to be comforted by the authority and the reliability of big brand names, and that applies more than ever to the names of big writers,” Newton noted.
“There will be some shoddy content out there, so people will turn increasingly to sources of authority for reassurance” that they will spend hours reading something good, he added.
Bloomsbury’s sales have been boosted in recent years by a handful of bestselling authors, such as fantasy writer Sarah J Maas.
Her series, which includes “A Court of Thorns And Roses”, has sold millions of copies around the world, and she has been described by Bloomsbury as a “publishing phenomenon”.
The “Harry Potter” franchise also remains a bestseller for the company 28 years since the first book was published.
Newton said Gen Z readers were driving a resurgence for physical books, with Maas’s series an example of those that have been popularised by social media.
“I guess it’s a reaction to the pixellated world that we live in,” he told dpa. “People want a thing of beauty that they can hang onto… it’s human instinct.
“The bookshelf is an important part of many homes; it’s all part of a museum of your own mind and your own journey as a reader.”
Trends on TikTok and influencers on Instagram sharing their favourite titles have helped attract a new cohort of younger readers.
Bloomsbury revealed sales of £160 million (RM900 million) over the first half of this year, slightly lower than the £180 million made in the same period last year.