Libby App Fights AI Book Flood

OverDrive, the company behind the popular Libby ebook lending app, is set to introduce new features to manage the influx of AI-generated content. Starting in the coming months, Libby's settings will allow users to actively filter out AI-authored books, AI-narrated audiobooks, machine translations, and AI-generated art. This move comes as the digital publishing industry braces for significant disruption from artificial intelligence.

CEO Marc DeBevoise emphasized the necessity of informing readers about content origins. While OverDrive does not directly host author uploads, it collaborates with intermediaries like Draft to Digital, which permits AI-generated books that undergo significant human editing. This policy makes it likely that some AI titles will enter Libby's catalog, necessitating the new controls.

Despite concerns, DeBevoise sees potential benefits in AI, particularly for increasing access to information and localizing content, such as audiobooks into multiple languages. However, he maintains a preference for human-narrated audiobooks, citing the irreplaceable value of a human touch in such productions.