Kindle's New AI Feature Offers Insight Without Giving Away Spoilers

Midway through a novel, if the identity or details about a character slip your mind, Amazon's innovative Kindle tool is designed to refresh your memory seamlessly. This tool, launched at Amazon's September hardware showcase, is now accessible for U.S. users on the Kindle app for iOS.

Effortless Book Queries Without Revealing Spoilers

Amazon states that this tool is present in thousands of top-selling English Kindle books and restricts its insights to your current progress in the book to keep the experience spoiler-free. By selecting any text within a book you own or loaned, you can inquire about the storyline or characters, and the AI will provide relevant information instantly without revealing future plot details. Furthermore, it supports follow-up inquiries for more in-depth clarity.

Concerns From Authors and Publishers

Despite its potential benefits for Kindle enthusiasts, the feature has become a controversial topic among authors and publishers. According to Amazon's statement to Publishers Lunch, the feature cannot be disabled by authors or publishers, thereby ensuring standardized reading experiences. This comes at a time when other AI firms are battling legal challenges over alleged copyright violations, notably with cases brought forth by the New York Times and Chicago Tribune against AI entities accused of misusing protected content.

Future Expansion and Additional Features

Plans are underway to extend this Ask this Book feature beyond the iOS app, with releases for Kindle hardware and Android applications expected in the coming year. In addition, Amazon has introduced a Recaps feature to its Kindle devices and the iOS app, aimed at providing summaries for book series, akin to episodic TV recaps. However, recent setbacks have led to the removal of their AI-generated video recaps, suggesting that the accuracy of Recaps should be verified.