Amazon has introduced a new feature called Recaps for Kindle users that will help them quickly recall the contents of the previous chapter before reading the next chapter. The recaps, Amazon told TechCrunch, are created using artificial intelligence (AI).
Image source: Amazon
Amazon notes that the new feature adds convenience to chapter reading, allowing readers to “dive deeper into complex worlds and characters without losing the enjoyment of the story.” Recaps covers a variety of genres, from epic fantasy to detective thrillers, and can summarize both time-tested classics and recently released titles.
However, before opening the summary, Kindle will warn you that the summary contains spoilers that may reveal key plot twists and character information. If you agree to open Recaps, you will be redirected to the summary.
Meanwhile, Reddit forum members have already begun discussing the new product, and it seems that not everyone is optimistic. Some have expressed doubts about how accurately the AI will be able to convey the plot. But company representative Ale Iraheta claims that Amazon carefully checks the AI retellings for compliance with the original content, including with the help of its moderators.
The feature is currently available for Kindle users in the United States. The summaries are available for thousands of popular English-language books. Amazon plans to add the feature to the Kindle iOS app soon.
To use Recaps, you need to update your Kindle software to the latest version. And to check if a particular chapter has a summary, you need to click the View Recaps button in your Kindle library or through the three-dot menu.