AI in Action: The Full Story Behind Our IPG Guest Post
- Virtusales Publishing Solutions
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
As proud sponsors of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), we were delighted to contribute a guest post to their blog this week, sharing our vision for the future of Artificial Intelligence in publishing.
The article introduces the Virtusales AI Lab, a project we launched in 2024 with a clear mission: to use AI in the most responsible, thoughtful, and impactful way possible, with the needs of publishers firmly in mind. Our goal is to enhance, not replace, human expertise by integrating practical, assistive tools directly into the BiblioSuite workflow.
A highlight of the piece is a success story from the academic publisher Boydell & Brewer, who used our AI Keywords solution to rejuvenate their backlist. Their Data Manager, Alison Coles, shared her experience:
“We’ve refreshed hundreds of legacy titles, sparking renewed interest. The results are relevant and require little to no further manipulation. It’s exceeded our expectations.”
This is the kind of practical, publisher-focused result that drives our innovation.
In the IPG article, we gave an overview of this process. Now, for our own blog readers, we want to pull back the curtain and offer a deeper dive into the technology and security that make it all possible.
How Does It Really Work? The Secret is Your Own Content
The true power of our assistive AI is that it relies on your trusted content. For the keywords tool used by Boydell & Brewer, publishers can configure the system to analyze high-quality source fields like the back-cover blurb, the table of contents, or an introduction. The AI model then extracts key themes, concepts, and terms directly from the publisher's own approved text.
This approach ensures the generated keywords are not just relevant, but also perfectly aligned with the book's existing tone and brand voice. It’s not about inventing concepts from thin air; it’s about revealing the rich, discoverable data that already exists within your titles.
The "Walled Garden" Explained: Our Commitment to Data Security
As an ISO-accredited company, security isn't an afterthought; it's our foundation. In the article, we mention that our AI functionalities operate within "secure, walled gardens." But what does this mean in practice?
It means your proprietary data—your manuscript, your sales copy, your metadata—is never integrated into public AI models. We use powerful, enterprise-grade AI models from providers like Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google, and we access them through secure, private instances. Your data is used only to process your request and is never used to train the provider's base model.
Furthermore, our platform's flexibility can support various models. If your company has an existing enterprise agreement with Microsoft, we can route your AI requests through your own Azure instance, leveraging your existing investment and giving you an extra layer of control.
What’s Next? A Glimpse into the AI Roadmap
Looking ahead, our development journey continues to focus on practical, high-impact applications of AI within the BiblioSuite ecosystem. A particularly exciting prototype on the horizon is the Biblio Assistant, designed to provide instant, intelligent support via a friendly chatbot. Imagine querying your upcoming publishing titles or outlining essential tasks for the week simply by asking. This personal assistant will be at your service, streamlining marketing campaigns by identifying relevant backlist titles for a new promotion, or optimizing production decisions by recommending the most cost-effective printer for a specific job. The Biblio Assistant represents our commitment to not just innovating with AI, but to integrating it seamlessly into your daily workflows, resulting in simplified tasks and more data-driven decisions.
As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we’re showing that AI can be a powerful force for good when used responsibly.
Read the original guest post on the IPG website to see how we introduced these topics to the independent publishing community.
If this level of detail interests you and you'd like to see the Virtusales AI Lab in action, get in touch to schedule a demo.
Read more about the Virtusales AI Lab and our full range of solutions, or check out our latest resources:
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