Audible Expands Its AI Ask a Question and Recaps Tools, and ACX Authors Can Opt Out

Audible is putting two AI listening tools in front of more people, and this time authors get a say. Writing on the ACX blog, the company said Ask a Question and Recaps are expanding to a select set of additional English-language titles in the US, with a broader rollout planned starting in December. Creators who don't want either feature on their audiobooks can file an opt-out request now, ahead of that wider launch.

Both tools started as a limited beta on select public domain titles and Audible Originals. Audible says the work was informed by early conversations with publishers. It also says listeners who use Ask a Question complete more listening sessions and engagement days than those who don't, though the post gives no figures.

What the two features do

Say you're six hours into a long fantasy and can't remember who a minor character is. With Ask a Question, you type that into the app and get an answer without stopping the book. Audible says answers draw on the audiobook and on how far you've got. The audiobook text goes to the AI model only as a prompt, the company says, and it isn't kept or used to train that model.

Recaps is aimed at people coming back to a book after a break. It plays a short AI-generated audio summary of the story so far, up to the listener's current point. Audible says it won't reveal spoilers or what happens next.

Only customers who have bought the title, or who get it through their Audible membership, can use either feature.

How the opt-out works

This is the part rights holders will want to read twice. Audible says ACX creators can request to opt titles out of Ask a Question and Recaps starting now, before the December expansion. It points creators to the ACX Help Center for the steps and says it will keep honoring opt-out requests as availability grows.

That choice is worth noting. When Amazon put a similar Ask This Book feature in the Kindle app late last year, PCMag reported that an Amazon spokesperson said: "To ensure a consistent reading experience, the feature is always on, and there is no option for authors or publishers to opt titles out." Audible, also part of Amazon, is taking the opposite approach for audio.

What isn't in the post

Audible doesn't say how many titles are in the current expansion or which ones. It also doesn't say how long an opt-out request takes to go through. Authors with audiobooks published through ACX should check their titles over the next few weeks. Those who want to stay out should file before December, when the wider rollout begins.

Audible's own description is modest. It calls the rollout "an early step in building more engaging listening experiences" and asks creators for feedback as it goes.

Photo: Audible's "Innovation Cathedral" in Newark, New Jersey, part of the company's headquarters. Photo by Djflem, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.