One of the UK’s leading voices on culture and the creative industries will join publishing leaders in central London next month as the sector grapples with the growing impact of artificial intelligence on copyright, licensing and content creation.
Baroness Thangam Debbonaire is set to headline PLS Conference 2026 at 1 Wimpole Street on July 2, bringing together experts from across publishing, rights management and licensing for discussions on some of the biggest issues facing one of London’s most important creative sectors.
The event comes as London remains at the heart of the UK’s publishing industry, with the capital home to many of the country’s largest publishers, media organisations, trade bodies and creative businesses. As debates intensify around how AI companies access and use copyrighted material, industry leaders are increasingly looking to London-based organisations to help shape the future of copyright and content licensing.
Hosted by Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS), the conference will explore how publishers, authors and rights holders can respond to rapid technological change while protecting the value of creative work.
Baroness Debbonaire, Chief Executive of UK Opera Association and a Labour Peer with a long-standing interest in the political economy of arts and culture, will deliver the keynote address.
She said: “As AI continues to transform the creative economy, ensuring that creators and publishers are properly recognised and protected will be critical.
“The publishing industry has a major role to play in shaping how innovation and copyright work together, and I’m delighted to be joining this year’s PLS Conference to discuss these issues with leaders from across publishing, rights and the wider creative industries.”
The conference will feature speakers from organisations including the Publishers Association, Professional Publishers Association (PPA), Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and PLS.
Sessions throughout the day will examine the rapidly evolving AI licensing market, emerging demand for licensed content, copyright policy developments and what permissions data reveals about publishing trends across books, journals and magazines.
Highlights include a panel featuring the chief executives of ALCS, CLA and PLS discussing the pioneering Generative AI Solution, designed to support the lawful licensing of content for AI use.
Delegates will also hear findings from the PPA-commissioned report Humans and Machines: The Everywhere Equation, exploring how publishers can adapt to the rise of generative AI, while an ALPSP-led discussion will examine proposed copyright reforms and legal action against AI developers taking place around the world.
Tom West, Chief Executive of PLS, said: “As the publishing industry continues to navigate rapid change, particularly around AI and copyright, the need for informed discussion and practical guidance has never been greater.”
Monisha Shah, Chair of PLS, added: “The conversations taking place across publishing around AI, copyright and content licensing are some of the most important the industry has faced in recent years.”
Alongside the conference programme, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with publishing and rights organisations from across the UK, reinforcing London’s position as a hub for debate, innovation and collaboration across the creative industries.