London Fair: AI and accessibility

At the 2026 London Book Fair, publishers talked less about flashy artificial intelligence demos and more about using software to speed editing, meet accessibility rules, and manage content at scale. (sixredmarbles.com) The fair ran March 10 to 12 at Olympia London, drew more than 33,000 visitors and 1,005 exhibitors, and marked the last London Book Fair at Olympia before the move to Excel London in 2027. (rxglobal.com) Six Red Marbles said its teams from the United Kingdom and India saw steady stand traffic over three days, and its Tech Theatre session on March 10 drew about 110 attendees. (sixredmarbles.com) The practical focus showed up in the official program. Publishing Perspectives said the seminar lineup covered artificial intelligence, digital audio, rights, translation, and a March 12 session called “Ready or Not: Accessibility Legislation in the U.S. and E.U. and What Publishers Must Know.” (publishingperspectives.com) Accessibility was not a side topic. The DAISY Consortium’s Inclusive Publishing site highlighted that March 12 panel as a session on legal gaps and compliance steps for publishers selling into United States and European Union markets. (inclusivepublishing.org) Artificial intelligence still dominated hallway talk, but the argument had shifted to limits and oversight. Six Red Marbles said publishers asked where the tools could cut repetitive work, improve workflow efficiency, support accessibility, and still preserve editorial judgment. (sixredmarbles.com) That caution was visible on the show floor. Around 10,000 authors backed an “empty” protest book, “Don’t Steal This Book,” to oppose the use of copyrighted work in artificial intelligence training without permission or payment. (thebookseller.com) The fair’s opening keynote put the venue change in context. London Book Fair director Emma Lowe and Penguin Random House United Kingdom chief executive Tom Weldon both pointed to the 2026 event as the final Olympia edition, and Weldon said the fair had outgrown the site’s capacity. (publishingperspectives.com) The result was a trade show where the biggest technology story was not machine-written books. It was publishers looking for tools that can make existing work faster, more consistent, and more accessible before the fair opens in a new home next March. (sixredmarbles.com)