Spotify’s new audiobook recap feature uses AI to remind you of the story so far

Spotify is launching a new AI feature for audiobooks that summarizes what you’ve already heard without needing to rewind. The company likens the feature, called Recaps, to a “previously on” segment at the start of episodes in a TV series.

Recaps will be available automatically in the iOS app for a limited number of English-language audiobooks, with plans to expand to more audiobooks in an unspecified time frame. While the Recap button is always present on supported titles, you will have to listen to more than 15–20 minutes of the audiobook to get a summary, according to the Spotify blog post on the feature. After that, Recaps will be “regularly updated” as you progress through the audiobook. It’s “designed to help people finish the books they start,” the company says in the blog.

True-crime author J.H. Markert called the feature “an audio bookmark that speaks” in the company blog. “Using it once blew my mind. As sophisticated as it is smart, this feature is a must for any audiobook lovers out there.”

Spotify made clear that Recaps uses AI, but maintains that the original works — including the book content and voice narration — remain protected. “We are not using audiobook content for LLM training purposes or voice generation, and Recaps do not replicate narration or replace the original audiobook in any way,” Spotify’s research director of LLMs, Paul Bennett, wrote in the blog post.

In February, Spotify partnered with AI company ElevenLabs to bring to the platform more AI-narrated audiobooks. But the company has faced backlash for its slow reaction to the proliferation of AI slop in its music platform. In September, it released policies aiming to tamp down on slop with better AI detection tools and disclosure of AI in song creation. Spotify also began working with music labels on “responsible” AI music tools without offering details on what those might be.