Apps & Consumer
Audible adds AI features to explore books and talk to characters
Audible introduced three AI-powered features — a character guide, interactive stories, and bonus imagery — as it faces new competition from Spotify in audiobooks.
Facing new competition in the audiobook market from Spotify, the Amazon-owned company is turning to AI and other technology to enhance the listening experience. On Thursday, Audible introduced three new features that let listeners explore a book’s characters, engage in interactive stories, and view additional imagery and bonus information about landmarks or places mentioned in a book.
The third feature, extra imagery and context, will first arrive in just one title: “The Cultural Tutor: A Modern Guide to History, Art and Philosophy in 49 Short Chapters” by Sheehan Quirke, which focuses on making culture more accessible through short lessons on poetry, art, architecture, and geography.
The other two features are also starting small. With Audible’s October 1 release of its Audible Original “Dracula,” a character guide will display who’s speaking in real time directly on the player page, plus spoiler-free character cards showing the narrator behind each voice and their bio; Audible says listeners will later be able to ask the guide questions about the story as it unfolds. The character guide is also coming to the Audible Original of George Orwell’s “1984” and the forthcoming Audible Original “Exoplanet,” from writer Benjamin Percy and executive producer Andy Weir.
Interactive stories, the second feature, will also arrive on “Dracula” and “Exoplanet.” Powered by generative AI, the feature lets listeners interact with a book’s character through a bonus experience — in “Dracula,” that character is Renfield, Dracula’s servant. The character speaks first, giving the listener a role, goal, and stakes, and the listener responds in their own words; the character reacts in real time. Audible says the creators are involved in the foundations of these interactive stories so they stay grounded in the book’s plot.
The changes come as audiobook listenership and revenue grow, with U.S. sales reaching $2.43 billion in 2025. “These new features invite listeners into a story in ways that simply weren’t possible before, marking the latest step in our nearly 30-year journey to push audio storytelling forward,” said Audible’s Chief Content Officer Rachel Ghiazza. The company says the features are currently in a beta test, with plans to expand to more titles over time.
Why it matters
Audible is betting that AI-driven interactivity — not just more content — is what will differentiate its audiobooks from Spotify’s growing push into the format.