Frankfurt opens with publishers split on AI use and copyright
Publishers want artificial intelligence to speed up their work and fear it will take that work.
That split opened the Frankfurt Book Fair on 6 October 2026, when outgoing director Juergen Boos spoke at the fair's opening press conference. He is standing down. That clash set the tone, according to trade coverage of the event Publishers Marketplace.
Boos said many houses now use generative AI, software that creates text and other material from prompts, in everyday workflows such as editing, design and marketing. At the same time, many oppose its use over copyright, meaning disputes over training systems on published books without permission or payment. He said the pull between using AI for better publishing and protecting authors' works sits at the centre of this year's technical programme, the fair's strand on tools and systems.
The press conference was scheduled for 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Dialogue Stage, Foyer Hall 4.0 Frankfurt Book Fair press kit. It is the formal curtain-raiser for several days of rights dealing, meaning the buying and selling of permission to publish books in different languages and territories.
There was also a farewell. Sebastian Guggolz, chair of the German publishers association, presented Boos with the Friedrich Perthes Prize during the opening press conference Reuters Connect. The award recognises service to the book trade.
This year's edition is the 78th. The Guest of Honour, meaning the country given a special showcase of its writers and books, is Czechia Frankfurt Book Fair. The spotlight usually brings a dedicated pavilion, author appearances and a run of new translations.
The 6 October press programme was also scheduled to include a keynote speech by Jill Lepore on the crisis of American democracy Publishers Weekly. Lepore is identified in that preview as a 2026 Pulitzer winner.
Beyond the opening, publishers are settling in for the main trade days. Academic publisher Springer Nature said it would join the gathering in Frankfurt from 7 to 11 October 2026. The International Publishers Association, the global body for publisher groups, lists a full programme of open and invite-only meetings at the fair, described on its site as a provisional schedule.
What makes this stand out for general readers is the link to the shelf. Deals agreed in Frankfurt decide which novels, memoirs and children's books travel across languages. The argument over AI will help decide on what terms they travel.
