Professor Yoo Ki-yoon, a specialist in smart cities at Seoul National University, focuses on the design and development of advanced information systems for urban environments. Currently, he leads a research team working on an artificial intelligence engine capable of understanding and responding to a wide range of queries within complex spatial contexts, such as digital twin cities. In addition to his research, Professor Yoo actively serves as an advisor and explores themes including human-machine interaction, the production and sharing of human knowledge in the AI era, and the development of user-centered interfaces. This interview aims to provide valuable insights into the future of reading culture and the evolution of knowledge ecosystems in the digital age.-- Ed
Q: There have been reports that the number of people reading books is declining worldwide. What is the actual situation?
A: In English-speaking countries, reading rates are clearly on the decline. Smartphone-based content consumption, especially social media and short-form videos, has had a major impact. However, the global picture is different. With literacy rates rising rapidly and mobile networks becoming widespread, the number of people reading is actually increasing in regions such as Asia, Africa, and South America. In particular, the spread of e-books and audiobooks has been an important factor in lowering the barrier to reading. Reading is no longer limited to the act of reading text, but is changing into a “multilayered information experience” that is reconfigured according to the user's situation, language, and digital environment.
Q: Isn't the basic structure of books still fixed in paper books or e-books?
A: No, it is not. The books of the future are no longer isolated units of information. AI-based network content technology enables the recognition of sentences, the connection of pages, and the reconstruction of books. YouBook is a platform that reflects this trend. Users can freely combine pages to create books. Readers can select and read only the information they want from various books. A search engine recognizes the core of the content in real time and provides customized curation. Readers are entering an era of network reading rather than linear reading.
Q: How does YouBook's co-authoring feature differ from traditional publishing methods?
A: YouBook demonstrates the evolution of collaborative writing. In the past, a single author or a limited number of co-authors was the norm. With YouBook, anyone can open a topic, and diverse individuals can write pages from their own perspectives to create a book together. Furthermore, the “open book” format allows new authors to join even after publication, enabling the book to evolve like a living organism. A blockchain-like author record system is in place, which enables transparent version management and revenue distribution. We believe that this open collaboration-based writing system will lower the barriers to content production and form a new community culture that connects individual creators.
Q: Some say that episode-based publishing is similar to a Netflix series.
A: That's a very accurate analogy. Traditional books with hundreds of pages had extremely high barriers to entry and a high risk of failure. In contrast, YouBook introduces a “mini-book” format, allowing authors to write books in episodes of around 10 pages. Readers can experience short, engaging content, while authors can quickly gauge reader feedback to decide whether to continue writing. The story continues automatically based on reader feedback and recommendation algorithms. This is an example of the content consumption mechanism used by YouTube, Netflix, and Watcha being applied to writing.
Q: There are concerns that generative AI could weaken writing skills. How does YouBook address this?
A: That's a valid point. While AI can write text, human-specific emotions, experiences, and contextual judgment remain uniquely human domains. YouBook offers features that allow generative AI to function as an “assistant writer.”
For example, AI handles tasks such as idea generation and draft writing, while humans manage the flow of logic, editing, and style decisions. This collaborative structure clearly establishes ethical standards for “AI-assisted writing” rather than “AI-driven writing” and presents a balanced model for adoption across the education, publishing, and content industries.
Q: Can YouBook, developed in South Korea, succeed in the global market?
A: It has already proven its potential. YouBook automatically translates all books into 13 languages in real time. This is the result of translation technology based on large language models (LLM), and its quality is continuously improving through user behavior-based feedback. Within six months of its launch, over 1 million readers and more than 400 authors have joined the platform, with a significant portion being overseas users. The structure where global users consume content in their native languages and engage in simultaneous collaboration and feedback demonstrates YouBook's potential to grow into a ‘global content network platform.’
The way we read and write books is evolving alongside technology. YouBook is not only changing the structure of reading but also lowering the barriers to entry for writing, ushering in an era where anyone can become an author. This new platform, which integrates AI, automatic translation, search algorithms, and collaboration networks, is rewriting the future of publishing. The important question now is not what technology can do, but how we can design an intellectual community together with technology. With YouBook, we look forward to a future of knowledge circulation where technology, ethics, creation, and collaboration coexist harmoniously.
