Amazon rebrands Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+, adds AI audiobooks
Amazon has changed the name of Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+, expanding its audiobook offerings to include AI narrators.
Amazon has rebranded its Kindle Unlimited subscription service to Kindle+, adding AI-narrated titles to its audiobook offerings.
The new Kindle+ provides unlimited access to ebooks, magazines, and comics for $12 per month. Users can borrow up to 20 titles at once, and there is no price increase with the rebranding.
Subscribers will now have access to thousands of audiobooks, some narrated by AI. Amazon spokesperson Josh Pflug said, ‘the same great reading experience with access to millions of titles, now with the addition of thousands of audiobooks.’ Authors using the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform can choose to have their works narrated by AI at no cost, potentially broadening their audience.
Although Kindle+ retains many features of Kindle Unlimited, it significantly expands the audiobook library. Authors can upload traditionally produced audiobooks and utilize new AI narration services, increasing selection for subscribers.
This shift allows readers to switch between reading and listening seamlessly, but some concerns have emerged about AI’s impact on professional narrators. Critics argue that AI-narrated audiobooks may lack a human touch and threaten jobs within the narration industry.
Amazon assures that existing features, such as reading history, bookmarks, and saved titles, will carry over to Kindle+. Users can enjoy the service through Kindle devices and the Kindle app on various platforms.
