Rethinking books and book practices in a changing world

Held in Louvain-la-Neuve on 23rd June, the 10th PILEn1 conference highlighted the sweeping changes in reading practices, the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), and the new dynamics shaping the future of books, transcending the object itself. An opportunity to examine the nature of reading, reading practices and accessibility.

Reading in crisis: generational changes

Reading has been declining significantly for several decades, and the trend has been growing stronger over the years. Louis Wiart, a ULB professor and co-author of Économie du livre (Book economy) with Philippe Chantepie, has analysed what is behind the collapse. According to him, “the decline in reading is a generational trend that accelerated in the 1990s. Once a valued activity, reading has lost its social status to new digital practices. The time spent reading is much inferior to what is spent on screens. ”According to the latest data from the Centre national du livre (CNL), in 2025, 17% of French people define themselves as “not readers at all”. In Belgium, this number grows to 28%, a particularly alarming figure. Moreover, the few readers remaining are mainly elderly people, and mainly women. The disengagement is indeed more marked among men, particularly young adults. The screens’ impact is undeniable, says Louis Wiart: young people spend five hours a day in front of a screen, while the time spent reading (printed or digital) often doesn’t exceed thirty minutes a day. An imbalance that has deeply changed reading habits, shifting from intensive reading to a more superficial, rapid and fragmented mode, that is now the norm. Louis Wiart calls it “hyper-reading”, a reader’s navigation from one link to another without dwelling on the content.

Digital technology: between hybridisation and practices fragmentation

While physical books are losing their appeal to some, digital technologies offer new solutions, but not without consequences. Technological evolutions are deeply shaking reading practices, notably through the proliferation of different media: e-readers, audiobooks, webtoons, etc. François Annycke, Director of the Hauts-de-France Regional Book and Reading Agency, talked about how libraries should evolve, and adapt to new digital realities. In his view, libraries must become third places, hybrid spaces where traditional reading coexists with other cultural practices such as gaming, listening to podcasts and watching videos. Diane-Sophie Couteau, Director of Public Reading at the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, agrees. To her, “libraries are no longer just a place where you borrow books. They are places for meeting, exchange and cultural mediation, where people can also access digital content and interact with innovative technologies.” François Annycke added that “in rural areas, their role is even more crucial, as hubs for social and cultural exchange. ”The aim is to offer users a variety of ways to consume culture and information. While digital technology enriches the reading experience, it also tends to fragment reading time and lead to an “information fluttering”, a fast and discontinuous mode of reading that is very different from the intense concentration required by a traditional novel. While this fragmentation of practices is not new (e.g., leafing through a newspaper or magazine), it is intensifying with digital technologies, and is becoming a factor of the overconsumption of information. As a result, many readers now prefer digital formats for their convenience and mobility, but do not give up traditional reading altogether.

Artificial intelligence: an opportunity for book accessibility

One of the major challenges for the future of books remains accessibility. In this context, AI could play a key role by making content more accessible to a wider audience, and especially to people with disabilities or with reading difficulties (visually impaired readers, dyslexic people, etc.). Julien Lefort-Favreau, associate professor in the Department of French Studies at Queen’s University(Kingston, Canada), explained how AI technologies can help to adapt books and make them accessible to a wider audience. “AI makes it possible to correct structural errors, adapt schoolbooks, and make texts more accessible to everyone, whether they are dyslexic, visually impaired, or non-native speakers,” he explains. These technologies also enable image description, text annotation, and the integration of audio or visual content, making the reading experience more interactive. In the case of textbooks, AI paves the way for personalised schoolbooks that can adapt to the pace and needs of each user, even from a very young age. However, although AI creates an opportunity to bring a new reading experience to audiences with specific needs, several speakers insisted on the importance of the human aspect, particularly in the process of learning to read. Adrien Wallet, a schoolteacher and lecturer at INSEAC (Guingamp, France), stressed that “learning to read is a human and emotional experience, and it is essential to preserve this dimension, despite technological tools.

”The book economy: rethinking a model in the age of abundance

The challenge of publishing in the face of AI and the explosion of editorial production was another major theme at the conference. The book economy has been marked, these past years, by overproduction and market concentration on bestsellers. David Piovesan, senior lecturer at Jean-Moulin Lyon 3 University and expert in the book economy, highlighted the current logic of large-scale book production, which results in an overabundance of titles, the vast majority of which end up being pulped. “Every year, 80,000 new titles are published, but a large part of these books fails to find an audience, which raises the question of the economics of abundance. ”This phenomenon is exacerbated by AI, which enables content production on a scale never seen before. While AI may offer opportunities for curating and personalising books, it also raises questions about creations authenticity and texts quality. Marc Lefebvre, web designer at Dupuis multimedia studio for the webtoon platform ONO, warned against the possible standardisation of AI-generated content, which risks producing copies of existing works, depriving readers of cultural diversity and the richness of human creations. Alok Nandi, director of interactive creation, took this opportunity to remind the audience of the recently published Charter for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Writing and Book Industry, which was supported by all players in the sector, and aims to set guidelines for the use of AI while guaranteeing the expression of human stories and the diversity of possible voices.

Rethinking books in a digital world

The deep changes in the book and reading industry were also discussed. While traditional reading is on the decline, AI and digital tech could be the answer to reinventing the role of books in society. But this change brings up several ethical, social, and economic questions. Book professionals, whether publishers, booksellers or librarians, must reflect up on their role in this new ecosystem where the act of reading, beyond the book as an object, is taking on new forms. Reading should not be seen solely as an economic act linked to the purchase of books, but as a social, cultural and educational act that is meaningful for the readers of tomorrow. Faced with overproduction, the digitalisation of the sector and the emergence of AI, itis becoming essential to rethink the book ecosystem by placing the reader at the centre of this reflection. The profound and multifaceted changes that are transforming the book industry were also discussed. The president of PILEn Philippe Goffe concluded the conference by underlining the importance of questioning the foundations of our reflections and our professions in the face of rapid and sometimes confusing changes. “We must take action, question what is constant in our professions and rethink our daily practices,” he said. To him, this is essential to prevent the stifling of cultural diversity and to restore reading to its rightful place in a society where access to culture and entertainment is increasingly hybrid. The question is not whether books will disappear, but how to make them more accessible, relevant and inclusive. 

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