Audible is adding generative AI to its audiobook app. The company announced Interactive Stories, a feature that lets listeners converse with characters, starting with Renfield from Bram Stoker's Dracula. According to Engadget, Renfield will assign the listener "a role, goal and stakes," and the character reacts in real time to the listener's own words. The beta is expected this fall, around the October 1 release of Audible's Dracula adaptation; a second Interactive Story tied to the original audio novel Exoplanet, created with author Benjamin Percy, is set for November 5.
Audible also introduced two non-AI tools. The Character Guide shows who is speaking in real time with spoiler-free character cards, and Visual Explorer will display maps or images tied to key moments. Engadget reports the Character Guide is already available for George Orwell's 1984 and will come to Dracula and Exoplanet; Visual Explorer's beta will accompany The Cultural Tutor's Grand Tour.
Both Engadget and TechCrunch report the same overall rollout, though TechCrunch's brief item does not include dates or titles. Engadget is more skeptical, noting that a Pew Research survey suggests younger audiences are wary of AI even as Audible's chief product officer, Andy Tsao, says AI lets the company create experiences "younger audiences are craving." The two sources agree on the facts; they differ mainly in tone.