AI-powered reading tools let users interact with books as they read

The emergence of AI-powered reading assistants has also renewed debate over copyright and author compensation.A growing number of artificial intelligence (AI) companies are introducing tools that allow readers to interact with books by asking questions as they read, offering a more conversational reading experience, according to AFP.The tools combine e-books or audiobooks with AI chatbots that answer questions about characters, historical settings, philosophical ideas and plot developments without requiring readers to leave the book.“You are dealing with a book as if it is a living object – it’s totally different,” said Ahmed Kamel, chief executive officer of Sinai.ai.Sinai.ai, which is currently testing its platform, allows users to engage with books through an AI assistant that relies only on the content of the book rather than external sources.French startup My Smart Book launched a similar service in April, using a chatbot trained exclusively on the text being read.Amazon has also entered the space through Audible’s “Ask a Question” feature, introduced last year.

The tool enables audiobook listeners to ask questions during playback, receive AI-generated answers and resume listening without interruption.“We’re excited about the potential for AI-powered features to enhance the customer experience,” an Audible spokesperson told AFP, adding that the feature is “designed to answer questions specifically about the audiobook the listener is currently engaged with.”Amazon has also introduced “Ask this Book” on Kindle, while AI voice technology company ElevenLabs offers “ElevenReader Voice Chat”, which it says enables two-way conversations with books.Copyright questions stand stillThe emergence of AI-powered reading assistants has also renewed debate over copyright and author compensation.Sinai.ai said it only offers books that are either in the public domain or licensed by authors, publishers or their estates.By contrast, iChatbook said its platform focuses on extracting concepts and ideas rather than reproducing the original text.“Our chat book is not a library of books – it’s a library of concepts and ideas and facts,” said founder Brian Yang.He said the approach allows the AI to explain ideas in simpler language without directly quoting copyrighted material.Other platforms, however, allow users to upload copyrighted books for AI-assisted interaction.

Services such as Myreader, Google’s NotebookLM—now rebranded as Gemini Notebook—and BookWorm AI do not screen uploaded books for copyright status.Sinai.ai said it has developed an “AI rights” system that compensates authors and publishers when their books are accessed through its chatbot.Kamel said the company is in discussions with four of the five largest US publishers—Hachette, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Macmillan.“I can clearly say at least that we are in active communications with almost four of the top five,” Kamel said. “We signed with many publishers in the US, big names in the Middle East.

Things are moving very rapidly.”However, not everyone supports the trend.

In December, the Authors Guild criticised Amazon’s “Ask this Book” feature, saying it was “not licensed, brings in no new income, and does not allow publishers and authors to opt out, much less opt in,” adding that it sets “a dangerous precedent.”