Amazon has rolled out new AI-powered features for its Kindle app on iOS, enhancing the reading experience with spoiler-free recaps and an AI assistant. The features, announced in June 2026, aim to make reading more immersive by providing context and summaries. However, not all Kindle users will have access to these features, as they are only available on newer Kindle devices and the US-version of the iOS Kindle application. The Ask this Book AI chatbot, which answers questions about plot details and character relationships, will be extended to newer Kindle devices and Android OS apps by the end of 2026. The introduction of these features has sparked controversy, with authors and publishers criticizing Amazon for potential copyright infringements. The Authors Guild argues that Amazon did not receive prior licensing permission to include authors' work in its chatbot feature, which could set a dangerous precedent for the future of licensing for AI features. Amazon maintains that the feature only uses content from the book as a prompt and serves as a natural language expansion of the search functionality already existing in Kindle apps. The company's dominance of the ebook market has raised concerns about authors' ability to opt out of the feature. As the publishing industry continues to evolve, the debate surrounding AI-powered reading features and copyright infringement will remain a pressing issue.

Source: Engadget