Kindle’s AI Recaps: Handy or Just Another Gimmick?

Amazon’s new Kindle feature uses AI to generate book recaps, sparking debate among readers about its usefulness and accuracy.

You know, as a taxi driver who’s spent more hours than I’d like to admit watching passengers glued to their Kindles, Amazon’s latest stunt has definitely sparked some chatter. They’ve introduced this ‘Recaps’ thing—aimed at jogging your memory about past books in a series before you dive into the new one. Amazon’s playing it cool, but they let slip to TechCrunch that these summaries are AI’s handiwork, with humans just giving them a quick once-over to avoid any major faceplants.

But let’s be real, not everyone’s buying it. Over on Reddit, there’s a fair bit of side-eye going around. Can AI really get the soul of a book? We’ve all had a laugh (or a cry) at how AI can sometimes be hilariously off-base. Amazon insists they’re keeping these recaps tight, but until we get the full scoop, a little doubt never hurt anyone.

Right now, if you’re stateside and your Kindle’s not stuck in the Stone Age, you can take these recaps for a spin on a bunch of popular series. Just hit up the ‘View Recaps’ button—but heads up, they’re not holding back on spoilers. Amazon’s selling this as your ticket to staying in the loop without getting tangled in plot twists. Whether it’s genius or a flop, well, that’s the million-dollar question. But gotta give ’em props for shaking things up, right?