Keynote Address | Editing in the Age of AI: Protecting and Advancing the Craft of Writing

As artificial intelligence reshapes the publishing landscape, editors face unprecedented questions about their role, their relationships with writers, and the future of literary creation itself. In this keynote address, publishing industry veteran Jane Friedman examines how AI is already transforming the editorial process—from manuscript evaluation to developmental guidance to line editing—while placing these changes within broader industry shifts. Rather than taking a utopian or dystopian view, Jane will offer a clear-eyed assessment of both the opportunities and threats that AI presents to editors and writers alike. At this pivotal moment, editors have a unique opportunity to shape how these technologies serve—rather than supplant—the craft of writing and editing.

Jane Friedman has spent more than two decades working in the publishing industry, with a focus on author education and business reporting. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press, 2025), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing. 

As a trusted industry resource, Friedman has advised and served multiple organizations, including The Chicago Manual of Style, Writer’s Digest, the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Midwest Writers Workshop. She has served on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Whiting Awards, and the Creative Work Fund, bringing her expertise to the development of literary culture and arts funding.

Her long-running newsletters exemplify her commitment to helping creative people navigate the publishing landscape: Electric Speed, published since 2009, reaches more than 30,000 subscribers, while her paid newsletter, The Bottom Line, serves as an industry beacon to thousands of publishing professionals.