Amazon Prime Video Launches AI-Generated Video Recaps for Original Series

Amazon's Prime Video is getting AI-generated Video Recaps for some TV shows | TechCrunch

I guess we're past the era of "and that's what you missed on Glee." Amazon's Prime Video streamer is adding AI-generated "Video Recaps" to help viewers catch up between seasons of shows, the company announced on Wednesday. According to Amazon, the feature "utilizes generative AI to create theatrical-quality season recaps with synchronized narration, dialogue, and music." It will begin rolling out in beta on Wednesday for select Prime Originals, like "Fallout," "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," and "Upload." Prime Video launched a similar AI-powered feature last year called "X-Ray Recaps," which summarizes complete seasons, episodes, or parts of episodes -- at the time, Amazon said that its AI model had guardrails in place to make sure that these recaps don't inadvertently share spoilers. Consumers have become accustomed to these kinds of text-based AI summaries, since they likely see them when their phone summarizes texts, or when they see a (perhaps unwanted) AI summary at the top of their Google results. But these video summaries veer into newer territory, which may appear more obtrusive in the viewing experience than text summaries -- or, maybe they'll be embraced by people who don't remember what happened on "Bosch." Prime Video's competitors are also exploring how they can integrate generative AI into their products. YouTube TV, for example, uses a "Key Plays" feature to help viewers catch up on sports games if they start watching while the game is in progress. While it's a bit imperfect (its algorithm seems to only be able to identify key offensive plays in baseball), the feature helped YouTube TV win its first Technical Emmy Award. Netflix, meanwhile, is using generative AI on the production side of its business. Earlier this year, Netflix said it used generative AI in the final footage for the first time in the Argentine show "The Eternaut" to create a scene of a building collapsing. After that, "Happy Gilmore 2" used generative AI to make characters look younger in the film's opening scene, and the producers of "Billionaires' Bunker" used it in pre-production to envision wardrobe and set design. The use of AI in the film industry has sparked much debate, as artists worry that these tools -- which sometimes are trained without permission on their work -- could endanger their livelihoods. But some argue that tools that speed up tedious busywork in animation or special effects, like Wonder Dynamics, could expand the capacity for artists to create.

Amazon adds AI-generated video recaps for select Prime Video shows

If the idea of a custom-made "previously on" video for every show you watch is attractive to you, Amazon is taking steps to make it happen. The company has announced that it'll now include AI-generated "Video Recaps" for select series on Prime Video so it's easier to hop back into a show after taking a break. The feature expands on text-based X-Ray Recaps the company started experimenting with in 2024, and the Kindle Recaps it already offers for some series sold through the Kindle Store. Amazon's Video Recaps combine clips, synchronized narration, select dialogue, music and sound effects into a short video that refreshes you on the characters and plot of a show. You can access the recaps through a new Recaps button on a show's page. Clicking it will either pull up a text-based X-Ray Recap or a Video Recap, depending on what Amazon's generated. At least for now, if you're interested in seeing a Video Recap for yourself, Amazon says the feature is available in beta for Fallout, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Upload, Bosch and The Rig. Recaps are essentially a repackaged version of the summarizing skill that companies have decided AI excels at. Amazon's Video Recaps are decidedly more complex than an email summary, but the basic premise is the same. Adding the feature to media apps and devices, as Amazon and Spotify have done, seems like low-hanging fruit that other companies will pursue. AI-generated recaps aren't without their detractors, though. Many indie authors were against Kindle Recaps because of their potential to misrepresent the plots and characters of books. The same possibility could theoretically exist for Video Recaps, as well.

Amazon is trialing using AI to generate recaps for some of your favorite Prime Video TV shows

This article is part of TechRadar's AI Week 2025. Covering the basics of artificial intelligence, we'll show you how to get the most from the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, alongside in-depth features, news, and the main talking points in the world of AI. We've already seen some of the best streaming services integrate AI-powered functionality and features into how they recommend content, and even into the writing of show, movie, and documentary descriptions. Now, though, Prime Video has set its sights on using AI to help us catch up between seasons - at least in the United States - for select original content in a beta trial that's rolling out now. In 2024, Amazon first dipped its toes into AI-generated content with spoiler-free, compact descriptions of plot points for shows; now, though, it'll use AI to cut together a 'Video Recap' to help bridge that gap between seasons. Essentially, when you click 'Video Recap' on an eligible show's page, it will present a roughly three-minute recap of the show. In the background, before you request, the AI will get to work, analyze the show, identify major plot points, and get a sense of the arcs of the main characters. The AI then cuts together the best video clips from the season and stitches them together with AI-generated voiceover narration that plays over what will likely be a few-minute recap. That's not an easy lift, as it's essentially stitching together the major plot points and combining them into a quick video that contains custom voice narration over visuals from the show - including dialogue - and adding music. These are being pre-generated, though, and Amazon uses a combination of models that are available on its own Amazon Bedrock, which lives on AWS or Amazon Web Services. After the recap, which should get you up to speed, you can roll right into the regular programming. Prime Video says it's rolling out 'Video Recap' in beta in the United States for select English-language original series. As of now, that list includes Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Fallout, The Rig, Bosch, and Upload. It's also only rolling out on living-room devices - think a Fire TV or a streaming player hooked up to a TV. The release does not mention whether additional devices, like the web or apps for iOS or Android, will be supported in the coming months. All eligible users in the US should see 'Video Recaps' by next week, November 24, 2025. Considering it's a limited US beta right now, we've asked Amazon whether this will be rolled out to the UK, Australia, and other international territories, either in beta or as a full release. Amazon says that at launch, 'Video Recaps' will only be available in the United States. And while you will need to navigate to watch the video recap, all of these are pre-generated, so while it's a heavy lift of AI, it won't be happening in real-time every time a user requests it. Gérard Medioni, vice president of technology at Prime Video, writes that Video Recap is a "first-of-its-kind feature [that] demonstrates Prime Video's ongoing commitment to innovation and making the viewing experience more accessible and enjoyable for customers." It's the latest AI-powered feature arriving for Prime Video, and it comes over a year after the streaming platform delivered a major redesign that has impressed some customers and us in our testing. Assuming these video recaps look good and meet the needs of a fun, engaging, and immersive recap, it could start a trend that other streaming services might copy. I, for one, enjoy a recap for a series - especially if there's been a longer gap between seasons. I needed it when The Morning Show returned on Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+), and I'd like to see a fun one for when Ted Lasso returns. Additionally, considering that Prime Video also hosts Prime Video Channels - which let you access other streaming services' content inside the same interface - we'll have to see whether Amazon can strike a deal to offer these video recaps for non-Prime Video originals, or if Amazon opts to extend this to its other in-house-made, produced, or owned content. I'm keen to try this one and see Prime Video's Video Recap in action, but I also have some concerns about how good these can be and, of course, how this might impact the editors, showrunners, and producers who would typically orchestrate recaps at the start of a season. Though if it's up to quality and the actual team decides not to make one, this could serve as a decent substitute - we'll have to wait and see, err, watch.

Amazon Launches AI-Powered Series Recap Videos

The AI-powered tool, now in its beta testing phase on select Prime original series, uses narration, dialogue and music to recall earlier seasons of a TV series. Amazon is betting AI can identify key plot points for a series to be synchronized with a voiceover narration and dialogue snippets. The goal is allowing fans to jump back in after possibly a long layoff between seasons and cliffhangers with a quick visual recap of characters and potentially complicated storylines. Prime Video is already using AI to suggest search topics to find your next movie or series to binge, or to dub content for global viewing. The streaming platform is also using AI to offer recaps of live events, including sports, for viewers tuning in after a telecast has started. Amazon's streaming platform last year introduced AI-powered X-Ray Recaps, which offer text summaries of key cliffhangers, character-driven plot points and other spoiler-free series intelligence. "Video Recaps marks a groundbreaking application of generative AI for streaming," Gérard Medioni, vp of technology at Prime Video, said in a statement. "This first-of-its-kind feature demonstrates Prime Video's ongoing commitment to innovation and making the viewing experience more accessible and enjoyable for customers."