- Image: Scribd, Ask AI
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also:
- Isaac Asimov, Scribd C-Founder Trip Adler, and AI Rights: ‘Created by Humans’
- Scribd Names Tony Grimmick to Succeed Trip Adler
‘Uncover Insights and Discover New Content’
The San Francisco-based Scribd today (August 1) has announced a beta version of a new artificial intelligence tool for the company’s primary brand and its Everand brand, the latter being Scribd’s subscription for ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts magazines, newspapers, and sheet music.
In describing the intent behind its “Ask AI” tool, the company says, “The new feature will allow users to quickly pull key information from documents on Scribd, saving them time on lengthy research.
“On Everand, Ask AI will be able to recommend ebook and audiobook titles based on a user’s unique interests, to provide a more personalized experience.”
Our Publishing Perspectives readers who are, of course, publishing executives and other specialists in the industry, will recognize that the rather generic Ask AI approach, like some found at other companies, revolves around search, information retrieval, and algorithmic suggestion. Indeed, the name itself , Ask AI, is being used by multiple companies, one of them a nonprofit service for “students, workers, and everyday citizens” who want to know more about AI.
Beck Kloss
In a prepared statement on today’s news, Beck Kloss, Scribd’s chief product and technology officer, is quoted, saying, “With Ask AI, we’re not just improving the user experience; we’re beginning to redefine it,” said Beck Kloss, chief product and technology officer at Scribd, Inc.
“This innovative tool will empower our users to uncover insights and discover new content effortlessly, bringing a new level of personalization and efficiency” to their use of the product(s).
‘More Personalized Recommendations’
A graphic showing Ask AI in operation on Everand. Image: Scribd
In further commentary on the arrival of the Ask AI feature, Scribd’s statement says:
“The current Scribd platform enables users to upload and share documents to make spreading knowledge easier, but locating relevant information can sometimes be a time-consuming process among the hundreds of millions of documents available on the site. Ask AI will allow users to ask questions and get answers about specific documents on Scribd through a chat interface that will quickly analyze documents up to 1,000 pages in length in just a few seconds and pull key takeaways, extract data, or expand on concepts.”
“In the Everand brand, “While having so much content to choose from can be great, it can also be daunting when readers are trying to find something new to read or listen to.
“Built to help users find the content they want quickly and easily, Ask AI’s natural language dialogue is capable of handling all types of queries, from specific searches to broad statements.
“The result is more personalized recommendations for Everand users that will empower them to find and consume more of the content they love.”
“In the Everand brand, “While having so much content to choose from can be great, it can also be daunting when readers are trying to find something new to read or listen to.Today’s media messaging also asserts that Ask AI benefits publishing partners on Everand “by providing increased discoverability cross-catalogue, while enhancing author visibility, providing a platform for both well-known and emerging writers to reach a broader audience.”
Ask AI is currently available to select users across web, mobile web, and mobile apps. Publishing Perspectives has inquired about what “select users” means in terms of who can access the beta release of the new feature and will update here if provided an answer.
A graphic showing Ask AI in operation on Scribd. Image: Scribd
A Programming Note
Trip Adler
Trip Adler, one of the co-founders of Scribd, will speak in our Publishing Perspectives Forum at Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 16 to 20)
That’s at 10 a.m. on Frankfurt Thursday, October 17.
Adler’s topic will be today’s issues in AI for publishers and its creative corps and his new enterprise, the AI rights platform Created by Humans, its development, and implications for the book business.
That session, moderated by Publishing Perspectives, will be open to all trade visitors at Frankfurt, and will take place in Frankfurt Studio, Hall 4.0, just off the Agora. More on Adler and his new company is here.
More from Publishing Perspectives on Scribd is here, more on subscriptions in publishing is here, and more from us on artificial intelligence is here.