Key takeaways
- AI has hit businesses that sell quick answers first. We found no data showing the same thing for Indian textbooks.
- Print is still growing in India, so the plan is to add digital to the book, not to replace it.
- Exam guides look most exposed, and school textbooks least. Rights and review now matter more than making the content.
On 29 October 2026, Google said students could open hundreds of free textbooks inside Gemini Notebook, with S Chand Publishing among the providers. A student in Kota can now ask a question, get an answer based on the book, and get a quiz on it, all for free.
If you own a publishing house, you have probably had a call about this already. So what has actually changed, and what has not?
What AI has already damaged
The clearest case is Chegg, a US homework-help company. Its revenue fell 40% in a year to $46.5 million in Q3 2026. Students who once paid for solved answers can now ask a chatbot.
Two cautions. The cause is disputed, and Chegg sold answers, not books. We found no data that isolates what AI does to textbook sales, and none from India. So treat Chegg as a warning for one kind of book, not a forecast for all of them.
Print is not the thing that is ending
The new Federation of Indian Publishers and NielsenIQ report puts print at ₹95,816 crore in 2024-25 and lists digital publishing at ₹7,048 crore. Its summary says: “The important story is not a simple shift from print to digital.”
This matters for your plan. You do not need to bet the company on digital. You need to add to the book you already sell, before a free tool becomes the place your readers go after buying it.
Which publishers are most exposed?
This table is our own judgment. No data measures it yet, so please argue with it.
| Type of book | Exposure | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam guides, solved papers | Highest | Solved answers are easy for AI, and free JEE Main mocks already exist in Gemini. | Move from static answers to tests that show weak topics. |
| Medical and nursing | High for revision | Quick lookup is exposed. But demand is growing: MBBS seats rose from 51,000 to about 1.29 lakh from 2014 to 2025. | Build practice with a clinician's sign-off. |
| College and academic | Moderate to high | Summaries can stand in for reading. Colleges still need citations and a known source. | Sell to colleges, not only to readers. |
| School textbooks | Moderate | Schools choose the book, so students do not find it through search. | Add digital to each new curriculum cycle. |
What publishers are doing about it
Linking the book to digital
Oswaal has a QR code in the book that opens an AI doubt chat, tests and mind maps. We found no Indian publisher reporting how many QR scans turn into paid customers, so nobody can yet say if this earns money or simply protects the sale.
Licensing to AI companies
This is real money, but it is a side line. Wiley reported $49 million of AI revenue on about $1.67 billion in fiscal 2026, and most of that does not recur. HarperCollins offered $5,000 per title for three years, split equally with the author, and only if the author agreed.
Going to court
Indian law is not settled. On 24 July 2026, the Delhi High Court refused ANI an interim injunction against OpenAI, and said its reasoning is not a final holding. ANI has appealed, and the case is about news, not books. Separately, a DPIIT working paper proposes a mandatory AI licence with no opt-out. It is a proposal, not law.
What to do, in order
- 1
Check rights
Title by title
- 2
Stop leaks
No manuscripts in consumer AI tools
- 3
Test 2 or 3 titles
Practice first, then video
- 4
Measure
Delayed test, review hours, paying readers
- 5
Then scale
Only what the numbers support
Rights come first because they can stop everything else. Under section 18 of the Copyright Act, an assignment does not apply to a medium “which did not exist or was not in commercial use” at the time, unless it says so. Whether your older contracts cover AI video is a question for your lawyer. Do not assume they do.
Practice comes before video because it has the stronger evidence. We go through this in our step-by-step guide to digitizing textbooks. If you are weighing Google's offer, read Gemini Notebook or your own app.
Measure the cost nobody talks about. Making AI content is now cheap. Having your editor check it is not, and we could not find a reliable public number for it. Yours, from a small test, will be worth more than any vendor's estimate, including ours.
See how Vacademy works for publishers
Frequently asked questions
Will AI replace textbooks in India?
There is no sign of that yet. India's print book market is estimated at ₹95,816 crore and is still growing. The clearest damage so far is to businesses that sell quick answers, like Chegg, not to printed textbooks.
Which publishers are most at risk from AI?
In our judgment, exam guides and solved-paper books are most exposed, because free mock tests already exist and AI gives answers easily. Medical revision books come next. School textbooks are less exposed, because schools choose the book. No data measures this yet.
Should a publisher license its books to AI companies?
It can be useful income, but it is small. Wiley reported $49 million of AI revenue on about $1.67 billion in fiscal 2026, and most of it is not recurring. Check your author contracts first, and take a lawyer's advice on each deal.
Can Indian law stop AI companies from using my books?
It is not settled. In July 2026 the Delhi High Court refused ANI an interim injunction against OpenAI, and said its reasoning is not a final holding. ANI has appealed. The case is about news, not books, so ask a copyright lawyer about your position.
What should a publisher do first about AI?
Check your rights title by title. Stop staff uploading manuscripts to consumer AI tools. Then test practice questions and video on two or three cleared titles, and measure the results before you spend on the whole catalogue.
Vacademy sells a platform for publishers, so please check our claims against the sources linked above. Facts are as of 4 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. No customer results are quoted.