AI Knows What to Read So You Don’t Regret the Time Spent
Yandex Books has taught AI to understand the tastes of individual readers. A new section, “AI About Books,” is designed for people who can never quite decide which book to start next.
“Find Me a Love Story”
In an age of endless choice, wasting time on something unengaging feels especially costly. Book publishing is booming, with new authors and titles appearing every day, but navigating that abundance is difficult. Even glowing reviews do not guarantee that a book will resonate with a particular reader. This is the gap the new “AI About Books” section inside Yandex Books aims to close, using artificial intelligence to guide the choice.
A reader can phrase a request in simple terms, such as “recommend books about love.” The AI analyzes not only the query itself but also the user’s individual preferences, reading history, and prior interactions with the service.
According to a Yandex Books survey, 35% of subscribers struggle to choose what to read. About 58% trust personalized recommendations, while 56% say it is important to find books they actually want to finish, whether reading or listening. Another 29% pay attention to books that have been adapted for film or television.
“AI About Books” is meant to help users make more confident choices. Alongside personalized recommendations, Yandex Books already offers AI narration for titles without an audio version, with additional features planned for release.
How AI Keeps Readers Engaged
Yandex is embedding generative AI directly into everyday content-consumption workflows, expanding the platform’s functionality. The goal is to create a seamless environment in which readers stay within the ecosystem, continuing to build knowledge and cultural experience rather than dropping off out of frustration or indecision.
The new feature reflects a broader business shift toward personalization and service customization. For users, the benefit is practical: search becomes easier, recommendations more relevant, and the risk of wasting time on an unsuitable book is reduced. Positive experiences, in turn, build trust in AI and encourage repeat engagement, helping platform ratings grow as new capabilities roll out.
In the future, AI use cases inside the service are expected to expand. Potential additions include thematic collections, literary overviews, and mood-based personalized recommendations generated on demand.
Only Those Willing to Trust AI Will Compete
Competition in content recommendation is intensifying. International platforms such as Goodreads and Amazon already rely on algorithmic discovery, while Russian services including Bookmate and LitRes have also integrated AI-driven recommendations. The new Yandex Books section differentiates itself through a deeper level of personalization, factoring in both explicit user queries and prior reading behavior.
Looking ahead, personalization is likely to become the defining feature of digital reading services. AI will generate selections based on search intent, reading history, reactions, and reviews. One particularly attractive option is an automated AI-written review that helps a reader decide whether a book is worth their time. These features also benefit from integration with other Yandex products, including the Alice voice assistant and Kinopoisk.
The shift from static recommendation lists to conversational AI services strengthens Yandex Books’ position in the digital reading market and aligns it with global trends. Platforms that fail to adopt AI support risk losing part of their audience. In this environment, sustained growth increasingly depends on embracing AI and continually expanding how it is applied.
