Kindle app launches AI assistant that answers questions about books without spoilers

Kindle app now answers questions about the book you're reading

Amazon has launched a new AI feature in the Kindle app that gives spoiler-free answers to questions about the book you're reading, and confirmed that authors can't opt out from the feature. The company calls Ask this Book an "expert reading assistant" in its announcement, and says that it's capable of answering questions about "plot details, character relationships, and thematic elements," all while avoiding spoilers by limiting its answers to content from the pages you've read so far. It's essentially an in-book chatbot, accessible from the book menu or by highlighting a passage of text you want to ask about. Amazon spokesperson Ale Iraheta told Publishers Lunch that the answers are "non-shareable and non-copyable," and only available to readers who've purchased or rented books. Iraheta also said that the feature is always on, noting that "there is no option for authors or publishers to opt titles out." First announced in September, the option is available now for thousands of English-language books in the US on iOS. Amazon says it will roll out to Kindle devices and the Android app next year, though didn't give a timeline for an expansion beyond the US or to additional languages. It joins Kindle's AI-powered Recaps feature for book series, but arrives only days after Amazon was forced to pull error-filled AI recaps from Prime Video.

Kindle's in-book AI assistant can answer all your questions without spoilers

If you're several chapters into a novel and forgot who a character was, Amazon is hoping its new Kindle feature will jog your memory without ever having to put the e-reader down. This feature, called Ask this Book, was announced during Amazon's hardware event in September, but is finally available for US users on the Kindle iOS app. According to Amazon, the feature can currently be found on thousands of English best-selling Kindle titles and "only reveals information up to your current reading position" for spoiler-free responses. To use it, you can highlight a passage in any book you've bought or borrowed and ask it questions about plot, characters or other crucial details, and the AI assistant will offer "immediate, contextual, spoiler-free information." You'll even be able to ask follow-up questions for more detail. While Ask this Book may be helpful to some Kindle readers, the feature touches on a major point of contention with authors and publishers. In response to Publishers Lunch, a daily newsletter for the publishing industry, an Amazon spokesperson said that, "To ensure a consistent reading experience, the feature is always on, and there is no option for authors or publishers to opt titles out." Other AI companies are already facing lawsuits claiming copyright infringement. Most recently, the New York Times and Chicago Tribune sued Perplexity, accusing the AI company of using its copyrighted works to train its LLMs. As for the Ask this Book feature, Amazon is already planning to expand it beyond the iOS app and will introduce it to Kindle devices and the Android OS app next year. Beyond this new feature, Amazon also introduced Recaps to Kindle devices and the iOS app for books in a series, which acts much like a TV show's "Previously on" roundup in between seasons. However, Amazon recently had to withdraw its AI-generated Video Recaps feature, so it might be worth double-checking the info you get from Recaps, too.

Kindle's new ask this book feature lets readers get answers without leaving the page

Amazon is trying to solve the biggest headache of reading a long novel: forgetting who everyone is but being too scared to Google it. The company just launched Ask this Book, a new tool for the Kindle iOS app in the U.S. that acts like a spoiler-free guide, keeping you in the story without breaking your flow. What Happened: Kindle Gets an In-Book AI Reading Assistant Recommended Videos If you are reading on an iPhone, the Kindle app just got a lot smarter. Amazon quietly rolled out Ask this Book, which lets you query the text directly. Instead of closing the app to search the web, you can now highlight a confusing passage or pop open a menu to ask about plot points, character backstories, or specific themes. The killer feature here is the "spoiler guard." Amazon claims the AI only knows what you have read up to that exact page. It won't accidentally tell you that the friendly side character is actually the villain. It functions more like a reading buddy sitting next to you than a search engine, offering instant context for thousands of best-selling titles so you don't have to leave the app. You don't even have to come up with the questions yourself; the app suggests relevant ones automatically, though you can type in your own specific confusion if you need to. Why This Matters, Why You Should Care, and What's Next We have all been there. You are 300 pages deep, a character name pops up, and you have zero memory of who they are. Usually, looking them up online is a gamble -- one wrong click and the ending is ruined. This update fixes that anxiety. It keeps the help inside the book, letting you stay immersed instead of doom-scrolling through a wiki page. It pairs perfectly with another new feature called Recaps. Think of Recaps as the "Previously on..." segment of a TV show, but for books. If you are picking up a sequel after a year-long break, it gives you a quick refresher on the story arcs and characters so you aren't lost. That's already available on Kindle devices and iOS for supported series. For anyone who reads multiple books at once or takes long breaks between chapters, these tools are a game-changer. They remove the friction of "getting back into it." Looking ahead, Amazon isn't keeping this exclusive to iPhones forever. Plans are already in motion to bring Ask this Book to Android phones and actual Kindle e-readers next year. It's a clear signal that Amazon wants the Kindle to be more than just a screen - it wants it to be an active companion that ensures you actually finish the books you start.

Amazon's New AI Tool for Kindle App Will Let You Ask Questions About Books

The feature will be rolled out to Kindle devices and Android in 2026 Amazon is rolling out a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature for its Kindle app, the company's mobile app that provides access to its large e-book library. Dubbed Ask this Book, it is currently being rolled out to Kindle for iOS. The Seattle-based tech giant said the feature is designed to let users ask questions about their current reads or previously purchased or borrowed books, and receive answers that do not spoil the story for them. Notably, last month, the company announced a new translation service for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) authors. Kindle App on iOS Brings AI-Powered Ask This Book Feature In a press release, the tech giant announced and detailed the new AI feature for Kindle users. Ask this Book is currently available to the iOS app; however, the company has confirmed that it will be rolled out to Android and Kindle devices next year. The AI-powered feature essentially lets users ask questions about the book or a chapter of a book directly, or highlight a passage or a sentence and ask more specific questions about it. In each case, Amazon claims, the answers are spoiler-free, ensuring the responses do not contain any information beyond the point they have read, or outside of what is being asked. The tool is aimed at helping users find instant resolution to their confusion while reading a book, or to refresh their memory when they go back to a book after some time has passed. At the time of rollout, the feature is only available to users in the US, and it supports a large catalogue of English-language books. Non-English books are not supported at this time. The company has also not confirmed when the feature will be rolled out to more regions. Amazon says users can ask the AI tool about plot details, character relationships, and thematic elements without having to stop their reading flow. "All responses provide immediate, contextual, spoiler-free information," the post adds. To get started, Kindle for iOS users can find the tool in the in-book menu or see it in the options after highlighting some text. Users can either type their own questions or use one of the AI-generated suggestions. The tool also lets users send follow-up questions.