Libby plans settings to hide some AI made books and audiobooks

In short: Libby, the library ebook app, is preparing a setting that lets people filter out some AI made content, but it will mainly work when that content is clearly labeled.

What happened

OverDrive, the company behind the Libby app used by tens of thousands of public libraries, says it is getting ready to add “AI content controls” in Libby’s settings. The idea is simple. Readers and librarians will be able to choose whether they want AI made content to show up when they browse and borrow.

OverDrive’s new CEO, Marc DeBevoise, said the controls are meant to cover more than just books written with AI. They can also apply to audiobooks narrated by AI (a computer voice), machine translation (computer translated text), and AI generated art (images made by software).

The big catch is how these filters will work. According to The Verge, Libby’s filters will rely on AI content being self labeled, meaning publishers or creators have to mark it as AI made. If something is not labeled, it may still show up, even if a reader tries to filter it out.

OverDrive is also trying to balance this opt out approach with its own use of AI inside Libby. Libby previously added AI features to help with book discovery, like recommendations (similar to how streaming apps suggest movies), and that drew backlash from some readers.

Why it matters

For regular library users, this is about trust and choice. Some people want to avoid computer generated books for personal reasons, just like some people prefer food with clear ingredient labels. If Libby’s filters depend on honest labeling, the feature may help, but it may not fully solve the problem if AI made items are not clearly marked.

Source: The Verge AI