For the first time, this year’s survey addressed a new element of the piracy threat—the “difficult-to-quantify losses caused by the use of AI-generated summaries and condensations of books.”

By Andrew Richard Albanese, Editor-in-Chief

In a new report, the Association of Italian Publishers (Associazione Italiana Editori, AIE) and the Federation of Italian Newspaper Publishers (Federazione Italiana Editori Giornali, FIEG) presented research suggesting that piracy accounts for nearly a third of the book publishing market in Italy—and with the advent of AI, new concerns have emerged.

According to the fourth Ipsos Doxa survey, presented at the AIE’s and FIEG’s Gli Editori meeting in Rome, book piracy is costing the Italian publishing industry roughly €722 million in lost sales ($857 million)—equivalent to nearly a third of the Italian market—and up from €687 million ($815 million) two years ago.

More than one in three Italians over the age of 15 (36%) has committed at least one act of piracy in the past year, the survey found, such as downloading an ebook or audiobook from a pirate site (25%);  acquiring “photocopied” books (14%); or accessing subscription services via password sharing (9%). The piracy rate rises dramatically among university students (76%), the survey found, and among older professionals (48%).

Italian publishing leaders say the latest figures translate into approximately 4,500 lost jobs in the book industry, and 11,500 jobs including related sectors.

In a note of good news, some 63% of respondents said they viewed piracy as a serious crime—slightly higher than the 58% recorded in 2023 and the highest level since surveys began.

Concerns Over AI

For the first time, this year’s survey addressed a new element of the piracy threat—the “difficult-to-quantify losses caused by the use of AI-generated summaries and condensations of books,” which, the survey found, was already widespread, and on the rise.

Some 64% of Italians over the age of 15 use AI tools, the report notes—including 79% of university students for “study texts,” and 55% of professionals for professional content.

The report found that, overall, 12% of Italians over the age of 15 have used “AI-generated reworkings” of books, and that “user satisfaction” with these “reworkings” was fairly high, over 70%. Some 36% of users said they have shared these AI reworkings with others.

Only a third of respondents (34%) said they were aware that “uploading copyrighted content to AI systems without authorization” was illegal.

“It is time to address the elephant in the room: the impact of Artificial Intelligence,” said AIE President Innocenzo Cipolletta, in a statement. “The spread of AI-generated summaries and reworkings as alternatives to books, as highlighted by this research, is already widespread today and raises two major issues. The first concerns the quality of education in Italian universities and training pathways, which must be preserved. The second concerns the significant damage already being suffered by the book value chain, even if it is not yet possible to quantify it precisely.”

Coppolleta said AI more must be done both to hold tech companies accountable, and to educate Italian consumers.

“On the one hand, information campaigns are needed to raise awareness among Italian users about piracy issues related to Artificial Intelligence,” he said. “On the other, big tech companies must be required to comply with European regulations contained in the AI Act, starting with transparency regarding the sources used to train algorithms—transparency that today remains a major black hole. The government can still do more in this area.”

The Ipsos Doxa research for AIE was conducted in October 2025, with a total sample of 3,800 individuals interviewed online (CAWI).