Print must embrace AI curiosity

** Industry association Print With Pride hosted a roundtable to understand what print businesses must do better to leverage the full potential of AI ** Artificial intelligence (AI) has very quickly moved from being an abstract concept to a practical tool. Joe Public is using tools such as ChatGPT as a modern-day equivalent to Ask Jeeves (do you remember that?), students are using it as an education crutch, recruiters are using AI to screen candidates as candidates are using it to customise their CVs, and even healthcare professionals are using it to automate the first stages of care delivery and speed up illness detection and diagnosis. In the realm of print and packaging, brands are working to build AI into their marketing processes. AI has supplanted automation as the go-to process for suppliers to improve machinery productivity and performance. Converters are now working on how to use AI to win work and better serve customers. At a recent Pride With Print roundtable chaired by Think B2B Marketing, print industry experts from Connect Print, Fujifilm Graphic Systems, Morgana Systems, Vpress, Xerox, and Young People in Print were joined by artificial intelligence industry insider Adaptiv AI to plot the path for AI’s role in the future of print. Automation becomes intelligence Most printing businesses have been on their automation journey for many years, often without realising so. Scheduling, estimating, colour management, and press optimisation systems already use data-driven logic to reduce waste, minimise errors, and keep machines running at peak performance. ‘Machine Learning’, ‘Workflow Automation’, ‘Business Intelligence’, and ‘Big Data’ are being reframed as an AI innovation. As these tools continue to mature and improve, AI will further the move away from so-called ‘Islands of Automation’ to fully integrated and connected end-to-end workflows that transcend traditional print business models and open up a world of opportunity. AI is already present in many instances, even if it is not always labelled as such. Equipment and software vendors have built AI-based capabilities into RIPs, workflows and production management systems. As noted by Kelvin Bell, Sales Director at Vpress, anyone who has relied on machine learning and intelligent algorithms in colour management, imposition, nesting, job ganging, and logistics planning is already halfway through the AI door. In the future, AI will allow MIS, prepress, production, logistics systems, etc to talk with each other, orchestrating everything from order intake and imposition to shipping in a more autonomous way. This capability will be embedded into software and rendered autonomous by agentic AI tools, which can set goals, plan, and execute complex tasks with minimal human oversight. “Agentic AI is moving beyond analysis or content generation to proactive, goal-oriented action,” says Carl Carter, founder and CEO of Adaptiv AI. “The overall perception of AI amongst general society is the result of one-to-one, personal engagements, using CoPilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and the like. The real power of AI for professional manufacturing environments lies in the greater use of agents. “Agentic AI will transform how artificial intelligence is able to communicate, learn, and interpret data and signals. A collaborative framework of AI agents will speed up time-consuming but essential processes and tasks required as part of manufacturing and greatly improve the efficiency and performance of printing businesses.” This might include managing and processing huge reams of data, generating quotes, and reducing the front office drag on output and delivery of printer products to customers. On the production floor, agentic AI can be used for the next iteration of pre-flighting to efficiently ensure visuals and graphics are suitably prepared for the intended print process and onward converting. AI can also support predictive maintenance, quality inspection, and real time adjustment of production parameters. “For smaller printing businesses, this a big win,” says Mark Lawn, Head of POD Solutions, Europe at Fujifilm Graphic Systems. ‘As a tool that ‘learns’ from historical data and can flag patterns and processes that cause delays, suggest optimal press settings, and balance workloads across multiple lines, this kind of capability effectively gives smaller businesses ‘Big Plant’ intelligence without the headcount or overheads.” Customer support AI’s role is not limited to production. Market research, audience refinement and targeting, campaign creation, and detailed analysis can now be left in the hands of AI, freeing humans up to concentrate on strategy and deliver the final output. This has direct implications for printers, as brands of all size, including those selling through platforms like TikTok Shop and Shopify, can move from idea to fully realised campaigns far more quickly as AI accelerates concept development and design exploration. This delivers a pipeline of high value business directly to printers. As an example, Carl Carter notes: “Retail media is going to have surpassed £6.6 billion in 2025 and reach £8.6 billion by 2030, growing nearly four times faster than general digital ad spend. For markets such as the UK, it is still heavily reliant on in-store, physical activations for retail media, using printed POP, POS, and stickers. “You have a very powerful proposition when AI is used to connect sales data, shopper behaviour and production planning, so that creative, engaging POS, labels and display materials are produced in the right quantities and formats, for the right stores, with the right messaging with the opportunity to measure their effectiveness with shoppers.” Kevin O’Donnell, Head of Marketing for Graphic Communications and Production System at Xerox, identifies this as an opportunity for printers to position themselves as strategic partners in an AI-driven world, where getting to market faster is not only possible, but expected. “Printers need to transition out of seeing themselves solely as a manufacturing business that takes orders and delivers work. Today, printers have the opportunity to directly influence outcomes from the very start, capturing more value and forging deeper customer relationships than they could simply as a downstream fulfilment partner. “Instead of waiting downstream for artwork, they can engage earlier and advise on what the correct materials and collateral are to best meet a campaign objective, whether POS, direct mail, packaging, or other printed touchpoints.” AI will also transform how print and equipment suppliers support customers. With years of manuals, service bulletins, application notes, and video content sitting on servers, there is an opportunity to use retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to deliver tailored answers to specific problems. RAG is a specific AI framework that enhances large language models (LLMs) by connecting them to external knowledge bases to fetch relevant, up-to-date information before generating a response. The result is more accurate, trustworthy, and domain-specific responses. As many manufacturers and printers sit on vast amounts of underused content, AI offers a way to unlock this information and turn it into dynamic knowledge bases that serve staff and customers alike. Kevin O’Donnell opines: “Today, this means a user could ask a natural language question such as, ‘I’ve got a jam on Tray 4, what do I do?’ and receive a concise explanation plus a 30 second video clip pulled from the most relevant training material. “For manufacturers , this approach can reduce pressure on helpdesks while actually raising the quality and consistency of answers. For printers, similar techniques can be used to build self-service portals for their own customers, explaining file preparation, substrates, finishing options and sustainability choices in a more personalised way. But this is step one, as we are embarking on a transformative journey toward an Agentic AI-powered ecosystem, this will be an evolution that redefines how intelligence, autonomy, and innovation converge to shape the future of this, and all other industries.” A similar approach can be applied to internal process knowledge, capturing the experience of senior operators and engineers before they retire. By embedding that know how into AI assisted tools, businesses can reduce the risk of a skills gap and help new staff become productive more quickly. Print touches on the intangible So far so good on how print can leverage digital tools to its benefit. But paradoxically, print’s physical nature will end up being its secret weapon, as the AI floodgates open and the world is awash with more digital content. With the recent backlash against Coca-Cola’s fully AI-generated Christmas ad in mind and more general concerns around the trustworthiness of AI-generated content and information, it is worth remembering that there is still very much a desire and demand for the physical. “If something is printed, someone has made a commitment to creating it and having it produced,” proposes Ed Hudson, General Manager of Morgana Systems. “That is seen as a sign of authenticity and provenance, which is increasingly valued.” A recently-published study from researchers in the US, The Impact of Visual Generative AI on Advertising Effectiveness, affirms this position with the finding that, while AI-generated ads result in a 19% increase in the click-through rate, once AI’s involvement is disclosed, advertising effectiveness is reduced significantly, by as much as 31.5%. This serves to reinforce the position of print in a digital world. Touch is one of the five senses that allows humans to engage with and appreciate the world around them. While high value is placed on data, clicks, and backlinks in the modern world, the intangibility of touch must not be forgotten. Connect Print’s Paul Stead said: “For younger generations raised on screens and AI generated content, high quality printed items can offer a sense of authenticity, ownership, and permanence that pixels alone cannot.” iPhone boxes are a prominent example of high-value print while the market for branded luxury retail bags has boomed in recent years. Both are realised using print. Even leading online powerhouses such as Amazon are using printed catalogues and mailers to promote purely digital services like music subscriptions. This reiterates print’s unique power to cut through in a noisy, always-on digital environment. “AI will help design and target these pieces, but the physical object remains the differentiator and the preserve of printers,” he advises. This places printers at a crossroads. In one direction, virtual influencers and fully digital campaigns could lead to less need for printed materials. However, if the industry embraces the opportunities AI presents, mass customisation, influencer marketing, and retail media will create a need for more print. “When used correctly, AI could actually generate more print by making it easier to design, test, and deploy multiple variants of packaging, POS and direct mail at speed,” says Mark Lawn. “Smaller printers in particular can punch above their weight if they marry agile AI-enabled workflows with strong advisory skills, helping clients navigate fast-moving markets with tangible, effective printed touchpoints.” Be curious, not judgemental Print’s successful adoption and exploitation of AI hinges on curiosity, says Carl Carter. “Curiosity, clarity, and collaboration form a powerful trio for innovation and success. “Clarity and collaboration are not an issue in print and are well established within the supply chain. Curiosity is where I see a shortcoming and this could negatively impact print and its engagement with AI.” Reiterating his earlier point, Xerox’s Kevin O’Donnell says: “If printers only see themselves as manufacturing businesses, they may be missing out on opportunities that could bring huge rewards. Instead, printers should be AI curious and start investigating how AI can positively impact their business and the services they offer.” Carl Carter goes on: “There is fear of the unknown, fear of the hype, and fear of not doing enough when it comes to AI. “It is understandable and natural to be cautious, especially when media narratives focus on job losses and dystopian scenarios. However, this hesitancy can hold back experimentation and prevent companies from realising the real-world benefits.” The antidote is to embrace curiosity. “Print is a reserved and conservative market, but you’ve got to be digitally curious to stay ahead,” adds Ed Hudson “Instinctively try, test and get a feel for things, be more curious.” It is agreed that focusing on the outcomes rather than the underlying technology is one way to overcome the challenge of AI curiosity, while maintaining healthy scepticism is also beneficial to ensuring optimum outcomes. What must be avoided is passive fear, “which is far riskier than engaged experimentation,” says Carl Carter. By embracing such an open-minded mentality, the print industry will open itself up to the next generation of AI literate professionals. Paul Stead is also a co-founder of Young People In Print (YPIP), an industry-wide initiative established to drive awareness and create interest in the print industry as a career path for younger generations. “As an industry that already struggles to attract young talent, print must take a proactive upskilling approach and rebrand itself as AI-forward. “AI can help broaden access to roles that were once seen as highly technical or narrowly defined. Tools that simplify complex tasks can enable people from more varied backgrounds to enter and progress in print, provided companies invest in developing curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills alongside technical training. “The schools and colleges YPIP is engaging with are reporting strong interest from young people who are AI literate and enthusiastic about making personalised physical products. They do not associate that with a career in print and that is a perception that it is incumbent upon the industry to change.” A positive, proactive agenda For AI to deliver its full promise in print manufacturing, several challenges must be addressed. Chiefly, brand owners, agencies, printers, and technology suppliers all view AI through different lenses. As there is not yet a widely shared vision of how these perspectives should or can connect, AI risks reinforcing existing ‘Islands of Automation’ rather than creating a seamless, data-driven ecosystem that would benefit the whole of print. Similarly, Ed Hudson notes that: “Suppliers can provide the most powerful AI-enabled systems, but if printers only use them internally and do not translate those capabilities into value propositions for customers, half the opportunity is lost.” As such, AI’s role in the future of the printing industry will be defined not by the technology itself but by how businesses choose to apply it. Used thoughtfully, AI can boost efficiency, cut waste, and improve quality; unlock new creative and commercial offerings; and attract and empower a more diverse, digitally confident workforce. Carl Carter concluded: “Printers should not wait to what AI means for them. “By being curious, by experimenting, and by reframing themselves as partners in outcomes, print businesses and manufacturing companies can ensure that AI is a powerful enabler of their next chapter, not a threat to their existence.”