Book 2.0 returns in September with the challenges of AI and betting on democracy

“ O Book 2.0 is a pot where we mix several things”, said today the president of the Portuguese Association of Editors and Bookkeepers (APEL), Miguel Pauseiro, at the event presentation press conference, which this year has as motto “Back to Basics. Back to Books”.

The program reflects this, counting on the participation of 35 confirmed speakers, from areas as distinct as politics, economics and companies, health, technology, education, media, publishing and bookseller, among others.

The Portuguese Cardinal, poet and theologian José Tolentino Mendonça – mayor of the Dicastery for Culture and Education in the Vatican – is one of the figures that will mark a presence, to talk about “A world that advances faster than its own values”, leading to the public a reflection on the relationship between literature, ethics and spirituality.

The former president of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the ministers Margarida Balseiro Lopes (Culture, Youth and Sport) and Gonçalo Matias (State Reform), the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Coins, the alderman of Culture, Diogo Moura, and the former Minister of Education Nuno Crato are other national speakers.

“ We must involve different areas of government, but also civil society. And the kids, we need to have the teachers with us. We want to mobilize for concrete actions, because this is what Book 2.0 was born for”, explained Miguel Pauseiro, highlighting the “symbolic space” in which this year the event takes place: the Cultural Center of Belém (CCB).

For the president of APEL the convening of all these governmental areas, which will allow the books to go further, is fundamental in a “country that needs strategy for the book and literacy”.

Miguel Pauseiro recalled that Portugal has the lowest numbers in Europe of literacy, buying books and specialized bookstores, which is why he believes that it is necessary to “punch a lot for creativity”.

“ In this picture, if we keep doing the same thing 50 years ago, we're not leaving here. We need to speed up further, there is an inflection in Europe, which is a global warning signal, he considered, referring to the “recue in the reading indices and in the intelligence quotient of the new generations” which is worrying some researchers.

The British police writer Dear Hunter will focus on new forms of violence, misogyny and the anxieties that shape younger generations, and how criminal fiction can mirror and challenge these issues.

The president of APEL argues that it is necessary to “destroy the idea of the book associated with an elite” and disseminate that everyone can have access to books, whether buying, lending or ordering in libraries.

The 4th edition of Book 2.0 will be based on three pillars, the first of which is “the challenges facing the editorial and bookshop sector, such as AI and its unregulated use, or the capture of new audiences”.

The other two are the intersection between the different social areas, and the aspect of democracy and freedom, which “do not exist without book, without critical spirit and without the ability to distinguish between what is truth and lie”.

One of the highlights is the former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, who opens the second day of the event with a reflection on the link between reading, democracy and civic participation, and how literacy strengthens freedom and inspires new generations for solid democratic societies.

To talk about the perspective of the international publishing industry and bookshop, two editorial directors will be present, the Spanish Joan Tarrida and the Italian Alessandra Carra, along with the British Rebecca Jones, former BBC art correspondent.

“ One of the ambitions of Book 2.0 is to internationalize. We enter Europe, we enter the world. Bring these perspectives to learn from who is better than us”, said Miguel Pauseiro.

The German Markus Dohl, former executive director of Penguin Random House, comes to talk about the book business from the perspective of publisher and bookkeeper, while American author Nathan Hill will talk about strategies to sell more books.

Doctor Luís Portela, television journalist Mário Augusto, writer, singer and composer Luísa Sobral, novelist Rita Canas Mendes are other speakers.

The health area is, moreover, one of the most important in the meeting, with the participation of the Spanish physician Manuel Sans Segarra and the president of the clinical council of Lusíadas Saúde, Maria Eduarda Reis.

To reflect on the technological acceleration of the AI and the impact it will have, the lawyer and former deputy Adolfo Mesquita Nunes will talk about law, technology and neuroscience, while the professor at the University of Lusófona Célia Oliveira will address how the use of AI has immediate results but compromises in the long term the capture of knowledge.

Miguel Pauseiro also highlighted a session dedicated to the intersection between fashion and literature, which explores the new link between fashion brands and books, analyzing successful cases such as the Soho Reading Series and the MiuMiu Literary Club, framing the book as analog experience and social activity.

Registration for Book 2.0 is open as of today and, as happened in previous editions, during the event will be presented the results of APEL's study on buying and reading habits in Portugal.