Recently, Audible, the audiobook company owned by Amazon, announced that they are testing an AI assistant called "Maven" designed to help users find their favorite audiobooks more easily. Starting today, select U.S. users can try out this new feature.
"Maven" This assistant is such a clever little guy! Users can enter their needs in natural language, such as "I'm looking for an inspirational novel with a female protagonist." Maven then suggests appropriate books based on the user's request from a catalog of nearly one million books.
The service is currently available on both iOS and Android devices, and about half of U.S. users can experience the feature, although right now it only covers a portion of theaudiobook library.
Interestingly, Audible didn't reveal in detail which specific AI models this AI assistant is based on. However, a company spokesperson said that Maven will combine "the strengths of multiple models" and will continue to optimize as the technology advances.
In addition to Maven, Audible is experimenting with other AI apps, such as AI-curated book lists and AI-generated review summaries. These new features could be Audible's response to platforms like Spotify, which has already launched AI-generated playlists.
Additionally, reports that users are already listening to thousands of audiobooks voiced by AI have sparked concern among some creators that robots will take jobs away from audiobook narrators. According to statistics, more than 40,000 books are currently being voiced by AI, and that number is growing.