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

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 help those readers who find it difficult to get back into a book series because they do not want to read older 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 they read 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 mention AI, the tech giant confirmed to TechCrunch that recaps are AI-generated. In an emailed statement, Amazon spokesperson Ale Iraheta said, “We use technology, including GenAI and Amazon moderators, to create short recaps of books that accurately reflect book content."

Users have flocked to Reddit to express their concerns over the use of AI for the feature, with some questioning how accurate recaps will be. Although the company has stated that it guarantees that recaps appropriately reflect content, Amazon has provided additional information on the process to TechCrunch.

According to reports, Kindle users in the United States can now view short recaps of books they’ve either borrowed or purchased for thousands of best-selling English-language e-books in series. It is worth noting that Amazon also plans to bring the recaps feature to the Kindle app for iOS soon.

Wondering how you can access recaps? You need to simply be on the latest Kindle software. 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 users are allowed to read the recap, they will be warned that it includes spoilers about major plot points and characters. Once they acknowledge this message, they will be taken to the recap.

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