Last week we introduced an AI-augmented assessment authoring tool for higher education textbook publishing. This week we thought we would look at a few of the reasons this service will be important to publishers. Higher education publishing is in the midst of a quiet revolution, and artificial intelligence is at the heart of it. For decades, building test banks and rejoinders has been a slow grind, one that eats up hundreds of hours as experts write, editors revise, and teams shuffle drafts back and forth. It’s work that demands precision and care, but it’s also repetitive, expensive, and hard to scale when deadlines loom or standards shift.
Though some may be a bit reluctant to acknowledge it, AI is changing this picture in ways that are hard to ignore. Today’s generative models can read through a textbook chapter, pick out the essential ideas, and draft a wide range of assessment questions-multiple choice, short answer, even case studies-in a fraction of the time it would take a human team. But there’s an important detail that sets Extanto’s approach apart: the human is never out of the loop. Our subject matter experts do more than review AI-generated content at the end. They write the prompts that guide the AI from the very start, shaping the structure, learning objectives, and pedagogical relevance of every assessment. This “human-in-the-loop” design is more than just a checkpoint; it’s the steering wheel. By embedding expert intent and instructional goals into the AI’s instructions, we make sure every question and rejoinder is accurate, meaningful, and aligned with what educators and students actually need. The first drafts of answer explanations come just as quickly. Instead of spending weeks or months on a single title, publishers can move through these steps in days, sometimes even hours.
The numbers back this up. A 2024 report from MagicBox found that AI-assisted assessment creation can cut production timelines by up to 70%. That’s more than just a statistic; it means a project that once took months can wrap up before the next faculty meeting. Another study in Frontiers in Education points out that AI doesn’t just speed things up. It makes it possible to keep up with changing curricula and educational standards, which is something many publishers have struggled with for years.
Money saved is just as important as time. When AI handles the heavy lifting, subject matter experts aren’t bogged down writing basic questions; they can spend their energy on more challenging tasks, such as crafting advanced prompts and developing new resources. Editors, too, find themselves reviewing cleaner drafts and spending less time on basic fixes. Industry case studies and recent white papers suggest that these changes can shave 30–35% off the overall cost of assessment development. As AI tools get better and publishers use them across more projects, those savings will grow even more.
These aren’t just projections. The Assessment and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education report from April 2024 shares real examples of organizations using AI to produce high-quality, curriculum-aligned materials at a pace that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. AI also helps publishers meet regional standards and translate content for new markets-tasks that used to require whole teams.
Of course, there’s a difference between speed and quality. That’s where Extanto comes in. Instead of turning the whole process over to AI, Extanto blends technology with the steady hand of experienced subject matter experts. Our team guides the AI, reviews every question and answer, and makes sure the results do more than just check boxes-they should help students think more deeply and learn more effectively. This approach answers a growing need in higher education for assessments that go beyond memorization and encourage critical thinking and foster genuine understanding.
AI in assessment authoring isn’t just about working faster or spending less. It’s about freeing up time and resources to try new things, reach more students, and respond to the needs of educators and learners as they evolve. Publishers who embrace this shift are setting themselves up to lead in a field that’s changing faster than ever.
