If you thought the relationship between AI and piracy was a one-way street, this week brings a story with a nice twist. Japan is funding a new AI-driven project to crack down on the rampant piracy in the manga scene.
ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
The manga industry claims to lose many millions each year from 1,000 or more piracy websites. If even a fraction of that is true, then the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency’s investment of 300 million yen ($2 million) seems like a no-brainer if it can help trim the damage. The use of AI seeks to automate what would otherwise involve many hours of human investigation, moderation, and enforcement action.
AI as a Tool Against Piracy
This, of course, is not generative AI. It’s “AI as a tool,” and as such, it is generally less controversial than its pseudo-creative cousin. But it is still a timely reminder that some tasks can be done more quickly and, as the medical world increasingly shows us, more accurately by an algorithm than a human. Despite the fear many authors have due to the wildly inaccurate algorithmic enforcement campaigns Amazon often engages in, the solution lies in better-developed tech, not reverting to human labor.
Opportunities to Share Industry Insights
An interesting adjunct piece of news will be of interest to many readers. You will know that I am a huge fan of Mark Williams’ The New Publishing Standard (I came across the first story here on the site). I have known Mark since the very early days of my self-publishing journey (more than a decade and a half ago now) when we were fellow travelers on the “moderately successful thriller on early Kindle” road (in fairness, my success was more moderate than his). His takes, particularly on ebooks, are always as incisive as they are insightful, and no one else is quite so committed to bringing truly global news through TNPS.
In 2025, Mark has made the move of opening TNPS’ column-inches, along with its associated newsletter and LinkedIn audience, to people with something valuable to share with his readers. If that sounds like you, he is open to suggestions.
Publishers Weekly also has an open call right now (thanks to Mark for pointing it out!) for anyone with an informative or original take on the state of the paper and printing industry and what it means for publishing. If that’s you, get involved. Submissions will be considered for a special edition dedicated to the subject.
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