Audible Will Soon Let You Use AI to Talk to a Book Character
Amazon’s audiobook service is rolling out new AI-powered features to make listening to stories more interactive.
Amazon-owned streaming service Audible is set to introduce three new AI-powered features that promise to make audiobook listening even more immersive. The first of these is the Interactive Story feature, which utilizes generative AI to allow users to engage in conversation with a book's character. For instance, listeners could interact with Count Dracula's rat-eating manservant, Renfield, in a new interactive story.
Audible's Interactive Story feature is guided by the creators and publishers of the titles, ensuring the narrative remains grounded and connected to the events in the book. However, the exact identity of the guide for books by deceased authors like Bram Stoker's Dracula is not specified. The Interactive Story feature is currently in beta testing and will be available to customers in the US and UK in a limited capacity.
Additionally, Audible has launched a Character Guide feature that provides real-time character identification and information cards about the performer playing the role, minimizing distractions. This feature is now available for George Orwell's 1984 and will be part of Audible's upcoming original audiobook Exoplanet. Audible also plans to expand the Character Guide feature to allow listeners to interact with it and ask questions as the story progresses.
The press release did not mention a Visual Explorer feature, which is expected to provide additional imagery and visual context for locations and important moments in a given narrative.
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