Audible launches AI feature letting listeners chat with book characters

Amazon's Audible on October 1 began beta-testing three AI-driven features inside its player, the most striking of which lets listeners hold a conversation with a book's characters. The first Interactive Story ships with the Audible Original adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," where listeners talk with Renfield; a second, set in the world of the forthcoming "Exoplanet" by Benjamin Percy with executive producer Andy Weir, follows November 5, TechCrunch reported.

"These new features invite listeners into a story in ways that simply weren't possible before," said Rachel Ghiazza, Audible's Chief Content Officer, who emphasized that creators are involved in building the interactive foundations.

The other two features are quieter. Character Guide displays who is speaking in real time on the player page and offers spoiler-free character cards with narrator biographies; it is live on "Dracula," George Orwell's "1984," and the forthcoming "Exoplanet." Visual Explorer surfaces imagery and context for places and landmarks mentioned in a book, and for now is available only on "The Cultural Tutor: A Modern Guide to History, Art and Philosophy in 49 Short Chapters" by Sheehan Quirke.

All three features are in beta, with Audible saying it plans to expand them to more titles over time.