New Kindle Feature Uses AI to Answer Questions About Books–Authors Can't Opt Out (reactormag.com)

Amazon has introduced a new AI feature in its Kindle iOS app called "Ask this Book," which allows readers to pose questions about the content of the books they are reading and receive instant, spoiler-free answers. This feature is positioned as an "expert reading assistant," providing concise and factual responses related to plot details, character dynamics, and themes. However, it has raised significant concerns within the publishing community, particularly as authors and publishers have not been given the option to opt their works out of the feature, leading to fears of unauthorized use of their intellectual property. The introduction of Ask this Book comes amidst ongoing legal battles where authors are suing AI companies for unauthorized data scraping. Critics argue that Amazon's deployment of this feature could be seen as derivative work or direct infringement on copyrights, especially since authors were neither consulted nor notified about its rollout. Currently exclusive to the Kindle iOS app in the US, Amazon plans to expand the feature to Kindle devices and Android OS in the upcoming year. This development is particularly significant for the AI and ML community as it highlights the complex interplay between technological innovation and copyright law, raising questions about the ethical use of generative AI in content consumption.