{
  "id": 11195445,
  "title": "Audible’s new features let you explore book worlds — and use AI to talk to characters",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/audibles-new-features-let-you-explore-book-worlds-and-use-ai-to-talk",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-01T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCrunch",
    "slug": "techcrunch",
    "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/01/audibles-new-features-let-you-explore-book-worlds-and-even-talk-to-characters/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a move to combat competition from Spotify, Audible has introduced three new features to enhance the audiobook listening experience. These include a character guide, interactive stories, and the ability to explore additional imagery and bonus information about landmarks or places mentioned in the book. One of the first titles to feature these enhancements is \"The Cultural Tutor: A Modern Guide to History, Art, and Philosophy in 49 Short Chapters\" by Sheehan Quirke, which focuses on making culture more accessible through short lessons on various subjects.\n\nThe character guide for Audible Original \"Dracula\" will display who's speaking at any given moment, as well as provide spoiler-free character cards showcasing the narrator behind the voice and their bio. This guide will later allow users to interact with the guide to ask questions about the story, with responses coming in real time. Other titles set to receive the character guide include the Audible Original of George Orwell's \"1984\" and the upcoming Audible Original \"Exoplanet\" from writer Benjamin Percy and executive producer Andy Weir.\n\nThe third feature, interactive stories, will also debut in \"Dracula\" and \"Exoplanet.\" These stories use generative AI to immerse listeners in the narrative by having them interact with a book's character. In the case of \"Dracula,\" listeners can interact with the servant Renfield, who will assign them a role, goal, and stakes in the story. The character will then react to their responses in real time, keeping the experience faithful to the original creator's vision. Audible's Chief Content Officer, Rachel Ghiazza, expressed excitement about these new features, stating that they mark the company's continued effort to advance audio storytelling since its 30-year history.",
  "summary": "Audible is rolling out new features that help listeners keep track of characters, explore places and imagery mentioned in books, and even interact with characters using generative AI.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}