If the idea of a custom-made “already on” video for every show you watch is appealing to you, Amazon is taking steps to make it happen. The company has announced that it will now include AI-generated “video recaps” for select series on Prime Video to make it easier to get back to shows after taking a break. The feature expands on the text-based X-Ray Recaps, which the company began using in 2024, and the Kindle Recaps it already offers for some series sold through the Kindle Store.
Amazon’s video recaps combine clips, synchronized narration, select dialogue, music, and sound effects into a short video that refreshes you on the show’s characters and plot. You can access recaps through a new Recaps button on the show’s page. Clicking it will bring up either a text-based X-Ray recap or a video recap, depending on which one is generated by Amazon. At least for now, if you’re interested in seeing the video recaps for yourself, Amazon says the feature is available in beta Controversy, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, upload, BOSCH And stuff,
Recaps are essentially a repackaged version of the summary skills companies have used to judge AI excellence. Amazon’s video recaps are certainly more complex than email summaries, but the basic premise is the same. Adding this feature to media apps and devices, as Amazon and Spotify have done, seems like other companies will follow suit.
However, AI-generated retellings are not without their detractors. Many indie authors were against Kindle recaps due to the potential to misrepresent the books’ plot and characters. The same possibility could theoretically exist for video recaps as well.