Publishers’ Opportunity or Dilemma? Licensing Content for AI Training

Panel Discussion

Thursday, February 5, 2026

10:00 am EDT | 4:00 pm CET

60 mins

As AI moves from experimentation to everyday use across publishing, education, and content workflows, publishers face a pivotal question: Is licensing content for AI training a growth opportunity or a strategic dilemma to navigate with extreme caution?

Join our expert panel as leaders in publishing, law, and AI unpack the opportunities, dilemmas, and red lines and help publishers make informed, defensible choices about engaging in AI training ecosystems.

All of this is unfolding amid fragmented legal frameworks globally, active litigation, and unclear opt-in, opt-out, and “grey zone” practices. This panel will unpack these opportunities and risks, giving publishers the clarity they need to navigate AI training decisions with confidence.

Talking Points

The current state of AI training data sourcing: What’s legal, what’s ethical, and what’s happening in the “grey zones”.

Evolving copyright and licensing norms across the US, UK, and Europe, and what they mean for content-led businesses.

The role of fair use, opt-in/opt-out models, and technical safeguards in both protecting and monetizing content.

Balancing innovation and IP rights: What a sustainable, scalable licensing model for AI training could look like in practice.

Practical takeaways from early AI licensing efforts in the publishing world: Where publishers are seeing upside, where they’re encountering friction, and what to watch next.

Designing sustainable models: Revenue, rights, and safeguards that make AI training a net opportunity rather than a long-term dilemma.

Early lessons from real-world AI licensing deals in publishing: What has worked, what hasn’t, and what publishers wish they had asked for up front.

About the Moderators

Barry Bealer

Vice President – Publishing, Education, and Media
Impelsys

About the Speakers

Ann Michael

Chief Transformation Officer
AIP Publishing

David Myers

Chief Executive Officer
Data Licensing Alliance

Jessica Miles

Founder
Informed Frontier

Pascal Hetzsholdt

Senior Director – AI Strategy & Content Integrity
Wiley

Uday Majithia

Vice President – Solutions & Service Delivery
Impelsys

About Impelsys

Impelsys is an AI-first global technology company headquartered in New York. It helps organizations adopt AI and build digital, data-driven operations across publishing, education, healthcare and information services, with expertise in AI/ML, Cloud, Data and Analytics, QA, Custom Application Development and Learning Solutions. Its solutions and platforms help businesses achieve and accelerate digital transformation.