Fable, self-proclaimed haven for book lovers and binge-watch enthusiasts, has developed an AI-driven year-end summary feature that distills the books its users read in 2024 into a concise recap. While initially intended to be lighthearted, certain recap segments surprisingly adopted a confrontational tone. The author, Danny Groves, apparently asked if he’s ever been in the mood to offer a straightforward, unfiltered perspective from a cisgender white male, following his self-description as a “Range devotee.”
As a prominent books influencer, Tiana Trammell concludes her abstract by offering sage advice: “Don’t overlook the occasional white creator, okay?”
Taken aback, Trammell discovered she was no longer isolated in her enthusiasm for Fable’s concise summaries on Threads, having shared her expertise with the community. “She received numerous complaints about people’s summaries that inappropriately addressed her capacity and sexual orientation.”
For years, the annual recap has become an omnipresent feature on the web, providing users with a comprehensive overview of their online activities, including the number of books and articles read, songs listened to, and workouts completed. Corporations are leveraging AI to comprehensively generate or enhance the metrics in question. Spotify has taken a step further by offering “Your Audio File”, a feature that enables robots to scrutinize your listening history and make informed predictions about your lifestyle grounded in your musical preferences. Fable leveraged OpenAI’s API to produce summaries of its customers’ past year of study habits, unwittingly triggering a surprise: the AI-generated commentary adopted an anti-woke tone reminiscent of a provocative commentator.
Following the controversy, Fable issued a formal apology across multiple social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram, in a bid to issue a genuine mea culpa. “We are deeply regretful for the distress caused by some of our recent Reader Summaries,” the company stated in its caption. Are we really going to aim higher?
Fable’s Head of Neighborhood, Kimberly Marsh Allee, tells WIRED that the company is developing a series of enhancements to its AI summaries, including an option to opt out for those who don’t want them, as well as more transparent disclosures that clearly indicate their AI-generated nature? As she explains, the mannequin has transitioned from poking fun at readers to simply encapsulating the author’s writing style in their published works.
While adjusting the AI may provide a satisfactory solution for many users, some customers might find this approach insufficient in addressing their concerns. Fantasy and romance author A.R. Kaufer’s alarm turned to dismay when she discovered screenshots of some summaries plastered across social media platforms. It’s high time they publicly acknowledge a complete disentanglement from artificial intelligence. The statement should read: “They will issue an announcement, not exclusively focused on the AI, but rather accompanied by an apology to those affected,” says Kaufer. As the “apology” on Twitter threads rings hollow, its mention of the app’s playful nature seeming like a feeble attempt to justify the offensive quotes that have sparked outrage. Kaufer has since taken the drastic step of deleting her Fable account in response to the incident.
So did Trammell. “To ensure maximum protection, it’s recommended to temporarily suspend the feature and thoroughly test its revised safeguards in-house, utilizing best practices to guarantee that no further platform users are vulnerable to harm.”
