Ever find yourself lost in an audiobook, struggling to remember what happened? Spotify has a solution! They're rolling out a new AI-powered feature designed to keep you on track. This feature, called Recaps, is like a 'previously on' segment for your audiobooks, summarizing the story so far.
Elissa Welle, an AI reporter based in NYC and supported by the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism, is keeping a close eye on these developments. She covers AI companies, their policies, and the products they release.
Spotify's Recaps are launching on the iOS app, initially for a limited selection of English-language audiobooks, with plans to expand to more titles later. You'll find the Recap button readily available on supported books, but here's a key detail: you'll need to listen for at least 15-20 minutes before a summary is generated. After that, the recaps will update as you progress. Spotify hopes this feature will help listeners actually finish the books they start.
True-crime author J.H. Markert calls the feature "an audio bookmark that speaks." He was impressed by how it worked.
But here's where it gets controversial... Spotify is using AI, but they're emphasizing that the original content, including the book's text and narration, remains protected. According to Paul Bennett, Spotify’s research director of LLMs, they are not using audiobook content for LLM training or voice generation, and Recaps don't replace the original audiobook.
This follows Spotify's earlier partnership with AI company ElevenLabs to introduce more AI-narrated audiobooks. And this is the part most people miss: The company has faced criticism for its response to AI-generated content on its music platform. In September, they released new policies to combat this, including better AI detection tools and disclosure of AI involvement in song creation. Spotify is also working with music labels on "responsible" AI music tools, although specific details are scarce.
What do you think about Spotify's new AI features? Are you excited to try Recaps, or do you have concerns about the use of AI in audiobooks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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- Elissa Welle
