Audible is broadening the audiobook experience with three new AI-powered features designed to make listening more immersive. The Amazon-owned service unveiled the tools on Thursday, allowing listeners to explore character guides, interact with stories and access bonus content about the cities and landmarks mentioned in a given book.
One of the headline additions is the ability to hold a conversation with a book’s character. This is made possible through the Interactive Story feature, which is powered by generative AI. Listeners will soon be able to engage with figures such as Renfield, Count Dracula’s rat-eating manservant, through a new interactive story.
How the Interactive Story feature works
According to Audible, the interactive nature of the feature is guided by the creators and publishers of the titles on which it appears, keeping the narrative grounded and believably connected to the events in the book. The company did not specify who guides the feature on works by authors who are no longer living, such as Dracula’s Bram Stoker.
Audible explains that the character speaks first, assigning the listener a role, goal and stakes. The listener then responds in their own words, and the character reacts in real time. The Interactive Story feature and its first title, Renfield on the Run, are set to launch later this autumn. These new AI features are currently in beta testing and will roll out in a limited capacity to customers in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Character Guide and Visual Explorer
The Character Guide feature tracks the speaking character in real time and provides an information card with details about the performer playing the role. It appears on the player page to minimise distractions. The feature is now available for George Orwell’s 1984 and will form part of Audible’s forthcoming original audiobook Exoplanet, written by Benjamin Percy and executive-produced by Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir. Audible plans to expand this feature so listeners can interact with the guide and ask questions as the story unfolds.
A third feature, Visual Explorer, has yet to launch. When it arrives, it will offer listeners additional imagery and visual context for locations and important moments featured in a narrative.
Audible’s Chief Content Officer, Rachel Ghiazza, said in a statement that the new features invite listeners into a story in ways that simply were not possible before, marking the latest step in the company’s nearly 30-year effort to advance audio storytelling. The Character Guide feature is already live for George Orwell’s 1984.
