Amazon's New Free AI Feature For Kindle Users Is Useful: What It Offers

Amazon's AI journey has been rocky so far, but Kindle users are in for a treat with a new AI tool.

Introducing Recaps: A New AI Feature for Kindle

Amazon is introducing a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature to Kindle devices that will help users quickly refresh plot points and character arcs while reading a book series. Dubbed Recaps, the new feature is designed to assist readers who struggle to reconnect with a book series without having to reread previous books to remember key plot details.

The AI-powered Recaps feature will provide a short AI-generated recap of the books already read in a series to bring the user up to speed before diving into the next book. The e-commerce giant is currently rolling out the new feature via an over-the-air (OTA) update to Kindle users in the US.

While Amazon’s press release for the new feature doesn’t explicitly mention AI, the tech giant confirmed to TechCrunch that recaps are indeed AI-generated. Amazon spokesperson Ale Iraheta stated, “We use technology, including GenAI and Amazon moderators, to create short recaps of books that accurately reflect book content."

Users have expressed their concerns on Reddit about the use of AI for the feature, with some questioning the accuracy of the recaps. Despite the company's assurances that the recaps are accurate, Amazon has shared additional information on the process with TechCrunch.

Accessing Recaps on Kindle

According to reports, Kindle users in the United States can now access short recaps of books they’ve borrowed or purchased for thousands of best-selling English-language e-books in series. Amazon also plans to bring the recaps feature to the Kindle app for iOS in the near future.

To access recaps, users need to ensure they are on the latest Kindle software. They can then check if a series has a recap by looking for the “View Recaps" option within the series grouping three-dot menu or through the “View Recaps" button on the page in their Kindle Library. Before reading the recap, users will be warned that it contains spoilers about major plot points and characters.

Amazon highlighted in a blog post, “By adding a new level of convenience to series reading, the Recaps feature enables readers to delve deeper into complex worlds and characters without losing the joy of discovery, all while ensuring an uninterrupted reading experience across every genre."