How AI is reshaping discovery, trust, rights, value—and the boundaries between media.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to change more than how content is created. It is reshaping how books and ideas are discovered, distributed, recommended, valued, and connected across media.
As AI becomes a new interface between audiences and knowledge, publishers, authors, libraries, educators, and media companies face fundamental questions. Who will shape what audiences discover? What happens to trusted curation, intellectual property, attribution, and compensation? Where is AI creating meaningful value today—and where does it introduce risks that publishing and media leaders should not ignore?
Join the Wharton Media & Entertainment Affinity Group and the Wharton AI Affinity Group for a candid conversation with Steve Potash and Barbara Kline Pope, two leaders who have spent decades shaping the digital future of reading, publishing, and access to knowledge.
Drawing on firsthand operating experience rather than speculation, the speakers will explore:
Featured speakers:
Steve Potash, Founder and Chairman, OverDrive
Steve Potash founded OverDrive in 1986 and served as its CEO for 40 years before becoming Chairman of the Board in June 2026. He led the company through its acquisition by Rakuten in 2015 and its subsequent acquisition by KKR in 2020. Today, OverDrive provides digital reading and media services to more than 90,000 libraries and schools in 115 countries through platforms including Libby, Sora, Kanopy, and TeachingBooks. (OverDrive)
OverDrive’s optional Inspire Me feature uses artificial intelligence and short reader-selected prompts to surface relevant, immediately available titles from a library’s collection—including books and authors readers might not otherwise discover. The feature provides a valuable real-world case study in how AI can complement library collections and human curation rather than replace them. (OverDrive)
Barbara Kline Pope, Executive Director, Johns Hopkins University Press
Barbara Kline Pope is Executive Director of Johns Hopkins University Press and Chair of the Association of University Presses’ Generative Artificial Intelligence Task Force. She is responsible for the Press’s portfolio, including Project MUSE, a major digital scholarship platform hosting more than 800 journals and over 100,000 books from approximately 400 university presses, scholarly societies, and related publishers. (Association of University Presses)
Under her leadership, Hopkins Press has expanded its digital and open-access initiatives while addressing the opportunities and challenges AI presents for publishing workflows, intellectual property, scholarly integrity, and the stewardship of authors’ work in the emerging large-language-model environment. (Hopkins Press)
When:
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
6:00 PM ET – 7:30 PM ET
Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members - $20 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni & Alumni Guests - $40
Gold & Benefactor Members - $0
Where:
Midtown location (Note: Address will be sent via email to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile. Please review your profile to confirm that the email address listed is correct.)
Pre-registration is required. Please register early as events can and do sell out quickly.
Registration is subject to availability and will close on Tuesday, September 15th at 9:00AM. No exceptions can be made!
Cancellations must be made at least two business days prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to change more than how content is created. It is reshaping how books and ideas are discovered, distributed, recommended, valued, and connected across media.
As AI becomes a new interface between audiences and knowledge, publishers, authors, libraries, educators, and media companies face fundamental questions. Who will shape what audiences discover? What happens to trusted curation, intellectual property, attribution, and compensation? Where is AI creating meaningful value today—and where does it introduce risks that publishing and media leaders should not ignore?
Join the Wharton Media & Entertainment Affinity Group and the Wharton AI Affinity Group for a candid conversation with Steve Potash and Barbara Kline Pope, two leaders who have spent decades shaping the digital future of reading, publishing, and access to knowledge.
Drawing on firsthand operating experience rather than speculation, the speakers will explore:
- Where AI is delivering practical value in publishing today
- How AI-driven discovery could alter the relationships among readers, authors, publishers, libraries, and platforms
- What the experience of OverDrive’s Inspire Me feature reveals about AI-enabled book discovery
- How publishers and all media companies should approach copyright, attribution, scholarly integrity, environmental impact, and responsible AI use
- Whether AI will accelerate convergence among publishing, audiobooks, film and television, education, streaming, and other media
- What media and publishing leaders should begin doing now—and what they should approach cautiously
Featured speakers:
Steve Potash, Founder and Chairman, OverDrive
Steve Potash founded OverDrive in 1986 and served as its CEO for 40 years before becoming Chairman of the Board in June 2026. He led the company through its acquisition by Rakuten in 2015 and its subsequent acquisition by KKR in 2020. Today, OverDrive provides digital reading and media services to more than 90,000 libraries and schools in 115 countries through platforms including Libby, Sora, Kanopy, and TeachingBooks. (OverDrive)
OverDrive’s optional Inspire Me feature uses artificial intelligence and short reader-selected prompts to surface relevant, immediately available titles from a library’s collection—including books and authors readers might not otherwise discover. The feature provides a valuable real-world case study in how AI can complement library collections and human curation rather than replace them. (OverDrive)
Barbara Kline Pope, Executive Director, Johns Hopkins University Press
Barbara Kline Pope is Executive Director of Johns Hopkins University Press and Chair of the Association of University Presses’ Generative Artificial Intelligence Task Force. She is responsible for the Press’s portfolio, including Project MUSE, a major digital scholarship platform hosting more than 800 journals and over 100,000 books from approximately 400 university presses, scholarly societies, and related publishers. (Association of University Presses)
Under her leadership, Hopkins Press has expanded its digital and open-access initiatives while addressing the opportunities and challenges AI presents for publishing workflows, intellectual property, scholarly integrity, and the stewardship of authors’ work in the emerging large-language-model environment. (Hopkins Press)
When:
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
6:00 PM ET – 7:30 PM ET
Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members - $20 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni & Alumni Guests - $40
Gold & Benefactor Members - $0
Where:
Midtown location (Note: Address will be sent via email to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile. Please review your profile to confirm that the email address listed is correct.)
Pre-registration is required. Please register early as events can and do sell out quickly.
Registration is subject to availability and will close on Tuesday, September 15th at 9:00AM. No exceptions can be made!
Cancellations must be made at least two business days prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.